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BEAUTY;    " 


ILLUSTRATED  CHIEILY  BY  AN 


ANALYSIS   AND    CLASSIFICATION 


BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN. 


BY  ALEXANDER  WALKER, 

AUTHOK     OF    "  INTERMAKRIAGE,"     "  WOMAN,"     "  PHYSIOSNOMT     FOUNDED 
ON   PHYSIOLOGY,"   "THE    NERVOUS   SYSTEM,"   ETC. 


EDITED   BY   AN   AMERICAN    PHYSICIAN 


NEW    YORK: 

J.    &   H.    G.    LANGLEY,    57    CHATHAM    STREET. 

PHILADELPHIA :  HASWELL,  BARRINGTON,  &  HASWELL. 

BOSTON :  WEEKS,  JORDAN,  <fc  CO. 

1840, 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1840, 
By  J.  &  H.  G.  LANGLEY. 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New 
York. 


STEREOTYPED   BY   J.   S.    BGDFIELD, 

13  Chambers  Street,  Neie  York. 


DEDICATION. 


TO 

GEORGE    BIRBECK,    M.D.,  F.G.S., 

PRESIDENT  OP  THE  LONDON  MECHANICS"  INSTITUTION,  &C..  &C.,  &0. 

A  DEPARTMENT  of  science,which  in  many  respects 
must  be  regarded  as  new,  cannot  so  properly  be 
dedicated  to  any  one  as  to  the  inventor  of  the  best 
mode  of  diffusing  scientific  knowledge  among  the 
most  meritorious  and  most  oppressed  classes  of 
society. 

When  the  enemies  of  freedom,  in  order  effectu- 
ally to  blind  the  victims  of  their  spoliation,  impo- 
sed a  tax  upon  knowledge,  you  rendered  the  ac- 
quirement of  science  easy  by  the  establishment  of 
mechanics'  institutions  —  you  gave  the  first  and 
greatest  impulse  to  that  diffusion  of  knowledge 
which  will  render  the  repetition  of  such  a  conspi- 
racy against  humanity  impossible. 

You  more  than  once  also  wrested  a  reluctant 
concession,  in  behalf  of  untaxed  knowledge,  from  the 
men  who  had  evidently  succeeded,  in  some  degree, 
to  the  spirit,  as  well  as  to  the  office,  of  the  original 


IV  DEDICATION. 

conspirators,  and  who  unwisely  hesitated  hetween 
the  bad  interest  which  is  soon  felt  by  all  participa- 
tors in  expensive  government,  and  their  dread  of 
the  new  and  triumphant  power  of  public  opinion, 
before  which  they  know  and  feel  that  they  are  but 
as  the  chaff  before  the  whirlwind. 

For  these  services,  accept  this  respectful  dedi- 
cation, as  the  expression  of  a  homage,  in  which  I 
am  sure  that  I  am  joined  by  thousands  of  Britons. 

Nor,  in  writing  this,  on  a  subject  of  which  your 
extensive  knowledge  enables  you  so  well  to  judge, 
am  I  without  a  peculiar  and  personal  motive. 

I  gratefully  acknowledge  that,  in  one  of  the 
most  earnest  and  strenuous  mental  efforts  I  ever 
made,  in  my  work  on  "  The  Nervous  System,"  I 
owed  to  your  cautions  is  to  logical  reasoning  and 
careful  induction,  an  anxiety  at  least,  and  a  zeal  in 
these  respects,  which,  whatever  success  may  have 
attended  them,  could  not  well  be  exceeded. 

I  have  endeavored  to  act  conformably  with  the 
same  cautions  in  the  present  work.  He  must  be 
weak-minded,  indeed,  who  can  seek  for  aught  in 
philosophy  but  the  discovery  of  truth  j  and  he  must 
be  a  coward  who,  believing  he  has  discovered  it, 
has  any  scruple  to  announce  it. 

ALEXANDER  WALKER. 

April  10,  1836. 


9- 

"•'St. 


AMERICAN   ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  present  volume  completes  the  series  of  Mr. 
Walker's  anthropological  works.  To  say  that  they  have 
met  with  a  favorable  reception  from  the  American  public, 
would  be  but  a  very  inadequate  expression  of  the  unpre- 
cedented success  which  has  Attended  their  publication. 
"  Intermarriage,"  the  first  of  the  series,  passed  through 
six  large  editions  within  eighteen  months,  and  "  Woman," 
has  met  with  a  sale  scarcely  less  extensive.  The  numer- 
ous calls  for  the  present  work,  have  compelled  the  pub- 
lishers to  issue  it  sooner  than  they  had  contemplated; 
and,  it  is  believed,  that  it  will  be  found  not  less  worthy 
of  attention  than  the  preceding. 

All  must  acknowledge  the  interesting  nature  of  the 
subject  treated  in  the  present  work,  as  well  as  its  intimate 
connexion  with  those  which  have  already  passed  under 
discussion.  The  analysis  of  beauty  on  philosophical  prin- 
ciples, is  attended  with  numerous  difficulties,  not  the  least 
of  which  arises  from  the  want  of  any  fixed  and  acknowl- 
edged standard.  The  term  Beauty  is,  indeed,  generally 
considered  as  a  vague  generality,  varying  according  to 
national,  and  even  individual  taste  and  judgment. 


VI  ADVERTISEMENT. 

Mr.  Walker  claims,  ia  his  advertisement,  numerous 
points  of  originality,  some  of  which,  on  examination,  may 
perhaps  prove  to  have  been  proposed  previously  by  other 
writers.  Enough,  however,  will  remain  to  entitle  him  to 
the  credit  of  great  ingenuity  and  acuteness.  As  treated 
by  him,  the  subject  assumes  an  aspect  very  different  from 
that  exhibited  in  any  other  publication.  To  trace  the 
connexion  of  beauty  with,  and  its  dependance  on,  ana- 
tomical structure  and  physiological  laws  —  to  show  how 
it  may  be  modified  by  causes  within  our  control  —  to  de- 
scribe its  different  forms  and  modifications,  and  defects,  as 
indicated  by  certain  physical  signs — to  analyze  its  ele- 
ments, with  a  view  to  its  influence  on  individuals  and 
society,  in  connexion  with  its  perpetration  in  posterity  — 
all  these  were  novel  topics  of  vast  and  exciting  interest, 
and  well  adapted  to  the  genius,  taste,  and  research  of  our 
author. 

In  preparing  the  present  edition,  it  has  been  thought 
expedient  to  make  some  verbal  alterations,  and  omit  a 
few  paragraphs,  to  which  a  refilled  taste  might  perhaps 
object,  and  to  bring  together  in  the  Appendix  such  collat- 
eral matter,  as  might  serve  to  correct,  extend,  or  illustrate 
the  views  presented  in  the  text.  With  these  explana- 
tions, the  work  is  confidently  commended  to  the  popular 
as  well  as  philosophical  reader,  as  worthy  of  studious 
examination. 


CONTENTS. 


PHEIJMiyABT  ESSAT .   Page  ix 

English  Advertisement 1 

CHAPTERI.  — Importance  of  the  Subject     ....  11 
CHAPTER  II.  — Urgency  of  the  Discussion  of  this  Subject 
in  relation  to  the  Interests  of  Decency 

and  Morality    ......  21 

CHAPTERIIL  —  Cautions  to  Youth 35 

CHAPTER  IV.  — Nature  of  Beauty 46 

CHAPTER  V.  —  Standard  of  Taste  in  Beauty  ...  56 
CHAPTER  VI.  — The  Elements  of  Beauty  ...  72 
Section  I.  —  Elements  of  Beauty  in  Inanimate  Beings  74 
Section  II. — Elements  of  Beauty  in  Living  Beings  .  88 
Section  III.  —  Elements  of  Beauty  in  Thinking  Beings  93 
Section  IV.  —  Elements  of  Beauty  as  employed  in  Ob- 
jects of  Art 103 

Beauty  of  Useful  Objects 104 

Beautyof  Ornamental  Objects           ....  108 

Beauty  of  Intellectual  Objects            ....  113 

Summary  of  this  Chapter 120 

Appendix  to  the  Preceding  Chapters 123 

Section  I.  —  Nature  of  the  Picturesque           .        ,        .  123 

Section  II.  —  Cause  of  Laughter             ....  125 
Section  III.  —  Cause  of  the  Pleasure  received  from  Rep- 
resentations exciting  Pity     .        .        .131 

CHAPTER  VII.  — Anatomical  and  Physiological  Principles  139 
CHAPTER  VIII.  — Of  the  Ages  of  Women  in  relation  to 

Beauty 152 

CHAPTER  IX.  —  Of  the  Causes  of  Beauty  in  Woman          .  166 

CHAPTER  X.  —  Of  the  Standard  of  Beauty  in  Woman        .  171 
CHAPTER  XL  — Of  the  Three  Species  of  Female  Beauty 

generally  viewed 185 

CHAPTER  XII.— First  Species  of  Beauty:  Beautyof  the 

Locomotive  System       ....  189 
First  Veiriety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty        ........  191 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 197 

Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 198 

CHAPTER  XIII.  —  Second  Species  of  Beauty :  Beauty  of  the 

Nutritive  System  ....    203 

First  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 208 

Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 210 

Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 212 

CHAPTER  XIV.  — Third  Species  of  Beauty :  Beauty  of  the 

Thinking  System  .        .        .        ,225 

First  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 226 

Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 227 

Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of 

Beauty 229 

CHAPTERXV.  — Beauty  of  the  Face  in  particular      .        .    238 
CHAPTER   XVI.  — Combinations   and   Transitions  of   the 

Three  Species  of  Female  Beauty  .  254 
CHAPTER  XVII.  —  Proportion,  Character,  Expression,  &c.  259 
CHAPTERXVIIL  — The  Greek  Ideal  Beauty  .  .  .280 
CHAPTER  XIX.  — The  Ideal  of  Female  Beauty  ,        .    307 

CHAPTER  XX.  — Defects  of  Beauty  .        .        .        .320 

Defects  of  the  Locomotive  System    ....    320 

Defects  of  the  Vital  System 323 

Defects  of  the  Mental  System  .        .        .        .327 

CHAPTER  XXI,  — External  Indications,  or  Art  of  Deter- 
mining  the  precise  Figure,  the  degree 
of  Beauty,  the  Mind,  the  Habits,  and 
the  Age  of  Women,  notwithstanding 
the  Aids  and  Disguises  of  Dress   ,        .    329 

External  Indications  of  Figure 329 

External  Indications  of  Beauty 332 

External  Indications  of  Mind     ....  335 

External  Indications  of  Habits 337 

External  Indications  of  Age 339 

Appendix 343 


PRELIMINARY  ESSAY, 

BY   THE    AMERICAN   EDITOR, 


Her  beauty  hangs  upon  the  cheek  of  night 
Like  a  rich  jewel  in  an  Ethiop's  ear : 

•  «  •  «  «  « 

Death  hath  no  power  yet  upon  thy  beauty  — 
Thou  art  not  conquered  j  beauty's  ensign  yet 
Is  crimson  on  thy  lips,  and  in  thy  cheeks. — ShakspearB. 

It  may  be  set  down,  we  suppose,  as  a  matter  sufficiently 
settled  to  become  a  principle,  that  men  are  moved  by 
nothing  more  generally  and  certainly  than  by  the  power  of 
Beauty  —  particularly  Beauty  in  Woman.  That  it  has  an 
influence  upon  all  of  one  sex,  like  that  which  Master 
Shakspeare  has  given  picture  of  in  the  lines  we  have  set 
upon  our  front,  we  would  not  pretend  to  say:  but  that  the 
wild  bard  was  no  freshman  in  his  knowledge  of  humanity 
so  far  as  heart  and  mind  matters  were  concerned,  we  feel 
safe  to  assert —  and  feel  confident  that  the  passionate  lan- 
guage of  Romeo  trespasses  no  bounds,  and  is  but  a  faith- 
ful declaration  of  a  power  that  rules  with  a  milder  or  a 
mightier  sway  in  the  bosoms  of  all  who  answer  to  the 
distinctive  name  of  Man. 

This  may  seem  a  wide  assertion.  But  it  is  no  less  true. 
The  reason  of  the  slow  belief  in  this  universality  is,  that 
men  are  not  always  subject  to  the  influence,  while  the 
principle  of  it  is  always  a  tenant  within  them.  There  is 
a  time  —  and  with  the  time  comes  the  development.    The 


X  PRELDHINAIIY   ESSAT. 

mind,  as  it  unfolds,  becomes  acquainted  with  nothing  so 
calculated  to  excite  its  wonder,  as  its  own  properties  and 
capabilities  —  its  new  perceptions  —  its  new  affections. 
Till  progress  brings  with  it  this  knowledge  of  ourselves, 
we  remain  ignorant  of  half  that  is  within  us  to  affect  us 
like  a  spell,  and  within  whose  reach  we  have  been  un- 
consciously passing  onward  and  upward,  by  a  Providential 
ordering,  from  our  childhood  at  least,  if  not  from  our 
cradles. 

Keeping  this  in  view,  let  us  consider  for  a  moment  some- 
thing of  the  elements  of  Beauty,  and  their  influence,  as  a 
principle,  upon  the  principles  of  our  nature.  —  And  first  it 
must  be  admitted  that  they  are  good  —  of  a  good  origin  — 
and  tend  to  a  good  result.  They  are  good  elements,  we 
believe,  for  we  find  them  almost  ever  associated  with 
what  is  pleasing,  improving,  and  satisfactory  to  us.  In- 
deed, in  this  connexion,  we  find  them  a  source  of  conso- 
lation and  delight,  where  all  else  has  failed  to  minister  or 
even  suggest  them.  They  are  of  a  good  origin  —  for,  if 
they  were  not,  no  such  effect  would  be  wrought  upon  a 
system  so  sadly  prone  to  evil  and  villanous  principles,  and 
so  little  open  to  pure,  and  elevating,  and  comforting  ones, 
that  they  may  be  said  to  come  about  it,  most  emphatically, 
like  "  angel-visits."  They  are  elements,  again,  that  tend 
to  a  good  result,  in  their  operation,  for  their  consequences 
are  almost  ever,  to  make  men  better  satisfied  with  their 
condition  —  where  they  come  in,  as  an  influence  upon  it, 
at  all —  better  satisfied  with  almost  everything  about  them, 
so  long  as  they  are  conscious  they  are  creatures  of  propor- 
tions and  proprieties,  and  affected  intrinsically  by  them. 

If  what  we  here  set  down  respecting  the  elements  of 
Beauty  be  true,  it  is  certainly  of  an  interesting  importance 
in  view  of  the  influence  of  that  quality  upon  the  princi- 
ples of  our  nature.  Wecall.it  quality.  Perhaps  this  is 
not  name  enough  for  something  so  peculiar  and  powerful 
in  its  connexion  with  the  total  of  our  spirits.     We  will 


PRELIMINARY    ESSAY.  XI 

term  it  such,  however,  for  want  of  a  wider  language  — 
and  leave  men  to  feel  out  such  definition  as  they  may 
deem  mure  good  and  grateful. 

Implanted,  then,  so  deeply  as  Beauty  is  in  the  human 
heart  —  so  universal,  that  millions  bow  to  it  as  something 
to  liear  while  they  worship  —  so  certain,  as  a  principle, 
Ilia  I  scarcely  a  human  being  can  be  said  to  walk  without 
the  sphere  of  its  influence —  it  would  be  needless  as  well 
as  uuphilosu()hical  to  deny  that  the  great  object  of  its  fix- 
lure —  its  eoihronement  upon  its  high  place,  should  be 
one  of  no  common  character,  or  of  a  tendency  and  effect 
wiihin  us,  which  it  would  be  wrong  and  inexcusable  to 
overlook. 

What  then  is  the  design  of  this  singular  and  mysterious 
pcwer,  in  connexion  with  this  sad  and  unaccountable  na- 
iu:e  —  soofien  the  theme  of  eulogy  and  lament  —  of  lofty, 
lung,  and  desperate  satire,  among  men?  The  best  an- 
swer, we  think,  is  rendered  in  the  influence,  where  opera- 
tion is  open  to  every  one  who  thinks,  observes,  reasons, 
acts,  nmong  his  fellows.  —  To  enter  into  particular  defini- 
liuns  here,  would  be  needless  as  well  as  wearisome.  The 
general  effect  upon  man,  as  a  sentient  and  moral  being, 
umsi  be  the  point  to  which  our  simple  remarks  and  rea- 
sons must  be  confined. 

We  have  somewhere  seen  it  observed  —  and  have  little 
doubt  in  the  publicity  and  good  sense  of  the  thought  — 
that  there  was  perhaps  no  one  thing  which  tended  so  ma- 
terially to  awaken  lofty  and  good  sentiments  among  the 
people  —  to  qualify  the  rough  outline  of  character  —  and 
soften  and  harmonize  the  untaught  elements  of  their  na- 
ture, as  the  frequent,  unrestrained,  and  encouraged  con- 
templation of  the  perfect  statuary,  which  their  master 
sculptors  were  continually  erecting  in  their  temples. 
This  freedom  was  a  perpetual  lesson  to  a  nation.  The 
principle  was  developed,  and  the  power  of  Beauty  had  a 
new,  and  forming,  and  mastering  sway.     A  people  were 


XU  PRELrMINART  ESSAY. 

coming  into  the  light  of  better  feeling  —  better  society  — 
better  government,  under  the  gradual  but  no  less  certain 
operation  of  a  living  principle,  brought  into  great  and 
beautiful  action,  under  the  commanding  hand  of  Genius, 
that  seemed  to  pass  at  once  from  the  sky,  whose  perfect 
things  it  presented  to  the  sons  of  earth  !  —  It  is  not  singu- 
lar, we  think,  that  such  a  leading  forth  of  Beauty  to  the 
contemplation  of  awakened  man,  should  produce  effects 
like  those  to  which  we  have  adverted.  It  strikes  us  that 
it  would  have  been  strange  had  this  consequence  not  been 
generated,  and  noble  sculpture  thus  have  stood  before  a 
world  as  cold  as  the  marble  from  which  it  was  stricken. 
We  believe  that  Beauty  saw  a  renovating  power  in  the 
wonder  of  the  Venus  —  and  it  would  be  a  sad  thing  to 
feel  that  it  had  ever  ceased  in  its  progress  where  woman 
or  the  chisel  were  doing  such  things  to  advance  it.  Nor 
has  it  ceased.  History  presents  too  many  instances  of  the 
monarch  power  of  Beauty  in  woman,  to  permit  us  to  doubt 
upon  ihis  subject.  It  has  passed  upon  the  spirit  of  Man 
like  a  thing  of  necromance  —  winning  him  to  its  command, 
and  bowing  him  to  its  will,  until  royalty  itself  has  stood 
powerless  in  its  presence,  and  the  poor  mass  of  mortals, 
stricken  and  panting  like  cornered  deer  before  the  inexo- 
rable hunter.  It  has  been  the  salvation  and  ruin  of  na- 
tions, as  well  as  families  and  individuals  —  for  queens 
have  obeyed  its  supremacy  as  well  as  maidens,  and  kings 
squared  their  mandates,  and  regulated  their  course,  by  the 
"  line  of  beauty."  All  this  is  matter  of  record.  Sacred 
and  profane  story  abounds  with  instances  which  admit  of 
DO  denial,  while  they  excite  our  wonder.  But  the  wonder 
ceases,  notwithstanding,  when  we  turn  from  record  to  our 
OAvn  experience,  and  see  the  effect,  on  others  and  ourselves, 
of  what  we  once  read  about  in  the  curious  annals  of  our 
species.  We  now  see  the  finished  sculpture  that  delighted 
and  softened  the  people  of  an  age,  gazed  on  and  admired 
by  every  being  whom  we  are  accustomed  to  regard  as  ra- 


PRELBnNART  ESSAT.  XIU 

tional.  No  one  pretends  to  question,  much  less  to  deny 
the  beauty  of  the  lovely  statue,  in  which  the  perfection  of 
woman  is  portrayed  in  the  finished  feature  or  the  swel- 
ling form.  Insensibility  here  would  properly  be  regarded 
as  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of —  as  little  better  than  a  moral 
paralysis,  which  might  well  exclude  the  questionable  man 
from  the  circle  of  reasonable,  enlightened,  and  rising  peo- 
ple, as  a  sad  fellow,  and  a  poor  pilgrim  on  the  earth.  You 
will  rarely  find  the  roughest  nature  with  a  cuticle  that  will 
not  confess  some  sensibility  in  a  presence  such  as  this  — 
and  I  think  we  may  set  it  down  as  a  thing  well  ascertained, 
that  the  picture  or  chiselling  of  a  beautiful  woman  will 
command  the  tribute  of  delight — the  acknowledgment  — 
and  loud  one  too  —  of  a  whole  and  hearty  worship  from 
the  tar,  as  well  as  the  amateur.  The  galleries  of  our  ar- 
tists, in  which  the  principle  of  Beauty  is  made  to  speak 
and  command,  sufficiently  prove  that  there  is  no  passing 
away  of  this  power  which  has  moved,  ruled,  and  regula- 
ted, to  a  degree  almost  incredible,  the  world  of  Man,  from 
the  time  he  came  to  this  school,  and  this  trial  of  the  pas- 
sions and  affections.  Let  the  question  be  asked  of  any 
one,  whose  spirit  is  in  healthful  action,  if  his  experience 
before  the  work  of  art,  imbodying  the  Beauty  we  speak  of, 
is  not  of  a  humanizing  —  and  we  will  add  civilizing,  as 
well  as  elevating  character,  and  we  are  willing  to  abide 
the  issue  of  his  answer,  in  full  support  of  the  position  we 
have  taken.  Such  is  our  belief  on  the  universality  of  this 
influence  or  element.  We  have  heard  it  denied,  it  is  cer- 
tain —  but  it  was  even  by  those  who  have  never  tested  the 
power  by  an  application  of  it  to  themselves,  or  a  surrender 
to  its  mysteries,  by  an  approach  to  the  real  presence  —  and 
who,  like  bachelors  upon  the  fearful  subject  of  matrimony, 
only  betray  a  silliness  just  in  proportion  to  their  ignorance. 
These  are  the  men  who  have  not  yet  unfolded.  They  are 
in  the  chrysalis  condition  —  and  to  be  pitied  accordingly. 
They  may  depend  upon  it,  when  they  pass  from  the  slough, 

B 


JQV  PRKT.mraARY  ESSAY. 

they  will  be  ready  to  confess  they  are,  alas  !  too  deep  in 
that  other  "  Slough  of  Despond,"  which  is  too  well  repre- 
sented by  a  sad  sensitiveness  to  the  magic  of  Beauty,  and 
as  sad  a  consciousness  that  there  is  no  approach  for  them, 
which  can  be  crowned  by  a  capture  of  the  citadel,  or  the 
least  enjoyment  of  the  glorious  delights  it  encloses.  When 
we  hear  men  deteriorating  this  power,  or  thanking  the 
gods  they  never  bent  knee  or  uttered  vow  at  its  shrine,  we 
are  ever  ready  to  believe  they  have  either  bowed  all  their 
days  to  far  other  and  sadder  principles,  and  made  oath  to 
idols  of  bad  material  and  worse  sculpture,  or  that  they  are 
as  much  beyond  the  reach  of  any  good,  and  proper,  and 
beautiful  influence,  as  the  clod  of  the  valley  to  which  they 
are  hastening.  They  may  take  pride  in  denial  of  such 
influence  —  but  what  is  there  to  boast  of  in  insensibility  of 
any  kind,  where  the  very  betrayal  of  admiration  is  the  best 
evidence  of  a  good  taste  —  a  good  feeling  —  a  good  faith 
—  a  good  principle  ?  It  cannot  have  escaped  common  ob- 
servation, we  presume,  that  a  love  of  Beauty  —  or,  at  least, 
any  peculiar  sensitiveness  to  that  quality  in  the  female  sex, 
has  been  held  —  and  by  sensible  men,  too  —  as  a  weakness, 
or  an  index  only  of  a  weak  mind,  or  a  feminine  spirit. 
This  is  certainly  very  foolish  —  and  a  lamentable  mistake. 
But  it  is  easily  accounted  for.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
doctrine  is  never  held  save  by  men  who  see  beauty  in 
things  which  other  persons  would  hold  abhorrent.  They 
are  men  who  are  in  love  with  metaphysics,  or  glory  in  a 
mathematical  existence.  They  like,  beyond  all,  the  fea- 
tures of  a  problem,  and  think  only  of  the  good  face  of  a 
speculation.  They  see,  as  they  profess,  at  least,  no  pro- 
portions, save  in  some  cold  system  of  an  absurd  philosophy, 
and  are  only  fit  for  judgment  in  things  either  too  abstract 
for  the  mass  of  men,  or  too  decidedly  "  earthy"  to  be  wor- 
thy the  attention  of  beings  made  for  a  better  sphere,  and 
capable  of  seeing  something  in  much  that  is  around  us, 
which  intimates  the  order  and  beauty  by  which  that  sphere 


PRKtIMINARY   ESSAY.  XT 

IS  distinguished.  This  is  enough  to  put  an  end  to  this  ob- 
jection, in  reference  to  the  subtle  element  of  which  we  are 
venturing  our  humble,  but  we  believe,  orthodox  sentiments. 
For  ourselves,  we  know  of  no  more  sad  or  senseless  men- 
tal condition  in  which  we  could  be  placed  —  we  mean  in 
the  social  relation  —  than  this  one  of  such  ungraceful  stu- 
pidity, as  this  of  which  a  boast  is  made  by  such  weary 
fellows  as  we  have  adverted  to.  If  Beauty  is  an  outside 
principle,  which  they  argue  is  of  no  utility,  and  quite  un- 
worthy of  one  who  should  look  beyond  the  mere  coating 
of  this  existence  for  his  reward  or  his  satisfaction,  then  we 
say  that  even  an  outside  of  loveliness  and  grace,  is  better 
than  an  interior  of  deformity,  uselessness,  indefiniteness, 
chaos  —  even  though  it  pretend  to  be  all  spiritual,  while  it 
suggests  little  but  nonsense,  and  is  quite  certain  to  end  in 
nothing. 

There  is  another  thought  in  connexion  with  this  ele- 
ment of  Beauty  in  "Woman,  which  certainly  deserves  con- 
sideration. We  believe  the  philosophy  which  it  intimates 
is  founded  in  very  good  sense,  and  withal,  in  propriety. 
Insensibility  to  the  power,  we  have  observed,  is  no  index 
of  anything  virtuous  or  elevated.  It  is  rather,  in  all  cases, 
a  bad  omen.  Men  look  upon  it  —  and  that  very  rationally 
—  as  indicative  of  something  unhealthy  in  the  moral  sys- 
tem. It  seems  to  tell  of  a  hardness  —  bad  propensities — 
a  crustaceous  nature.  In  short,  man  regards  his  fellow, 
who  is  dead  to  this  influence,  as  rather  to  be  suspected  at 
all  times,  than  to  be  trusted  at  any.  But  this  is  not  his 
saddest  trial  —  or  what  should  be  regarded  as  such,  if  he 
can  sign  himself  a  man,  with  any  conscience  whatever. 
His  estimation  by  woman  is  unqualified  and  unquestioned. 
He  is  set  down  by  her  as  a  creature  as  unworthy  of  regard 
by  the  sisterhood,  as  he  is  devoid  of  warmth  or  wit  in  any- 
thing that  has  to  do  with  the  social  relations,  and,  above 
all,  with  the  mysteries  of  the  passions  and  affections.  He 
is  marked  by  them  with  a  timble  brand.     He  is  set  apart 


XVI  PEELIMINAIIT  ESSAT. 

as  a  poor  thing,  who  knows  nothing  of  what  he  was  made 
for,  and  whose  ideas  oi  the  graceful  and  lovely  in  life  are 
about  as  defined  and  worthy  as  those  of  the  brutes  that 
perish.  He  is  run  upon  and  laughed  at  by  the  playful,  and 
satirised  and  scathed  by  the  witty.  In  the  circle  he  is 
treated  —  not  pitied  —  as  a  piece  of  circulating  insensibil- 
ity ;  in  the  street  he  is  pointed  at  as  one  who  might  be 
well  set  up  as  a  mark  at  its  corners.  And  this  is  right. 
It  is  well  he  should  be  visited  by  rebuke  from  her  who 
presents  so  continually  around  him  the  elements  of  that 
power  he  is  foolish  to  resist,  and  unable,  after  all,  to  de- 
preciate. Woman's  opinion,  here,  is  a  part  of  the  great 
system  which  the  influence  she  defends  is  meant  to  sup- 
port —  and  we  truly  hope  that  she  will  maintain  it  aloud 
as  long  as  she  can  utter  it.  Of  the  power  of  Beauty,  both 
the  world  of  fact,  and  the. world  of  fancy,  are  abounding 
in  instances.  The  records  "of  ancient  story  present  us  with 
their  Helens  and  their  Cleopatras,  who  wrought  upon  na- 
tions by  the  magic  of  their  faces.  Later  times  show  us 
the  wonder  of  the  power  in  Mary  of  Scotland,  and  many 
a  page  might  be  adverted  to,  full  of  the  adventures  which 
marked  the  love  passages  of  kings  as  well  as  clowns, 
originating  in  this  mysterious  influence,  as  developed  in 
the  graces  and  glories  of  woman. 

The  power  of  Beauty  operates  widely,  and.  everywhere. 
It  takes  the  good  man  captive  as  well  as  the  miscellaneous 
one,  who  has  no  definite  rule  to  guide  him  on  his  wander- 
ings. It  bows  the  masters  and  teachers  of  men  at  its 
shrine,  as  well  as  the  scholars  and  children  of  life.  It 
draws  the  merchant  from  his  desk  —  the  philosopher  from 
his  chair.  It  gives  new  utterance  to  the  poet,  while  it 
wins  the  statesman  to  confess  that  there  is  some  virtue  in 
the  outside  of  the  world,  after  all,  and  some  attraction 
apart  from  the  chaos  of  cabinets  and  broad  seals. 

There  is  a  beautiful  exemplification  of  this  power  given 
by  Florian,  in  his  story  of  a  Theban  sculptor.    He  is  a 


PRELIMINARY   ESSAY.  XVll 

wandering  orphan  in  the  streets  of  his  native  city,  and  his 
first  entrance  into  the  workshop  of  the  celebrated  Praxit- 
iles  well  proves  the  truth  of  what  we  have  set  down  in 
the  foregoing  pages.  —  "  He  is  suddenly  transported  on  be- 
holding so  many  masterpieces  of  art !  He  gazes  upon 
them  —  he  is  lost  in  admiration !  and  turning  to  Praxitiles 
with  an  air  of  grace  and  juvenile  freedom,  "  Father,"  cried 
he,  "  give  me  the  chisel,  and  teach  me  to  become  as  gTeat 
as  thou  art."  Praxitiles  stared  at  the  boy,  astonished  at 
the  fire  of  enthusiasrn  which  kindled  in  his  eyes,  and  em- 
bracing him  with  affection,  "  Yes !"  said  he, "  remain  with 
me;  I  will  now  be  your  master,  but  my  hope  shall  be 
that  you  may  soon  be  mine" 

The  pupil  soon  becomes  worthy  of  his  teacher.  He 
becomes  the  heir  of  his  fortune,  and  removes  to  Miletus. 
There,  the  daughter  of  the  governor  visits  his  statuary, 
and  from  the  time  of  that  visit,  his  destiny  is  sealed.  Love 
usurps  the  place  of  every  other  passion,  and  the  chisel  is 
cast  aside  in  silence,  under  that  supremacy.  The  Venus 
of  marble  that  adorned  his  study,  was  no  longer  a  Venus 
before  that  living  one  which  filled  his  eye  and  his  bosom. 
He  felt  that  he  must  tell  his  love,  or  die.  He  declares  it, 
in  a  hurried  letter  —  a  slave  betrays  him  —  and  the  indig- 
nant father  accuses  him  before  the  council.  He  is  banished 
from  the  city  —  and  embarks  in  a  Cretan  vessel. 

At  this  time  pirates  surprise  the  city,  and  pillage  the 
temple  of  Venus.  The  statue  of  that  goddess  is  torn  from 
its  pedestal.  It  was  the  Palladium  of  the  island,  and  on 
its  possession  hung  the  happiness  of  the  Milesians.  The 
oracle  of  Delphos  was  consulted,  and  it  was  answered 
that  Miletus  would  not  be  safe  till  a  new  statue  of  Venus, 
beautiful  as  the  Goddess  herself,  should  replace  that  rav- 
ished by  the  pirates.  The  inhabitants  were  in  despair. 
They  accused  the  governor  of  unjustly  banishing  the  only 
man  who  might  now  save  the  city.  He  is  seized,  and 
hurried  in  chains  to  a  dungeon.     Now  came  the  trial  of 


XVIU  PRELIMINAKT  ESSAY. 

the  daughter,  whose  beauty  had  brought  on  this  fearful 
crisis.  She  equips  her  vessel,  and  with  treasures  about 
her,  determines  to  go  in  person  to  Athens — Corinth  — 
Thebes  —  to  find  some  artist  who  should  emancipate  her 
father.  Tempted  to  land  on  a  delicious  island,  she  there 
comes  suddenly  upon  her  lover,  whom  she  had  been  taught 
to  believe  had  been  long  laid  under  the  waters  that  lashed 
the  heights  of  Naxos, 

The  story  is  soon  told.  In  the  humble  cabin  of  his  sol- 
itude he  had  prepared  a  statue  which  he  said  would  meet 
the  demand  of  the  sybil.  But  he  claimed  to  have  it  placed 
veiled  upon  the  pedestal  in  the  temple  of  Miletus,  before 
she  should  even  look  upon  the  marble.  She  consents  — 
and  they  embark  for  that  island.  The  artist  is  received 
with  shoutings  and  joy.  The  statue  is  borne  to  its  trial  oa 
the  altar  of  Venus.  It  stands  erect.  He  fears  nothing  — 
and  it  is  unveiled.  The  features  are  not  mistaken  —  and 
the  people  utter  cries  of  joy  as  they  behold  the  image  of 
his  mistress !  The  enamored  sculptor  had  made  her,  in 
his  loneliness,  the  model  of  his  Venus  I  —  He  is  called  on 
to  claim  his  reward.  "Release  him  you  have  imprisoned," 
he  cried  —  "  release  her  father  —  and  I  ask  no  more."  —  It 
is  done  —  and  the  father  gives  up  the  daughter  to  his  pre- 
server, at  the  foot  of  her  statue. 

Can  the  power  of  Beauty  be  better  illustrated  than  in 
this  simple  tale  ?  "We  are  not  shown  simply  its  effect 
upon  an  uneducated,  artless  individual  —  upon  a  mind  in 
its  singleness,  and  just  awakened  to  its  own  capabilities  of 
suflering  and  joy  —  but  we  see  it  operating  in  a  wide  and 
unquestioned  influence,  upon  the  spirit  of  a  whole  people. 
It  was  not  demanded  by  fate  that  there  should  be  merely 
a  replacing  of  the  piece  of  marble  upon  the  pedestal  from 
which  it  had  been  torn  —  it  was  required  that  the  statue 
should  be  as  royal  in  its  Beauty  as  that  was  whose  place 
it  should  supply.  Beauty  was  the  spirit-word  of  the 
destiny  of  Miletus.    It  was  Beauty  which  had  been  guar- 


PREtnvnNARY  ESSAY.  Xtt 

dian  of  the  city  —  and  it  was  Beauty  which  must  now  re- 
store it,  by  her  return  to  her  temple. 

But  we  will  not  dwell  upon  this  story,  though  it  so 
beautifully  exemplifies  the  position  we  maintain.  There 
are  many  instances  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  world, 
which  tell  as  strong  a  tale,  of  the  influence  of  Grace  and 
Beauty,  as  is  here  presented  in  the  Grecian  record.  We 
may  not  witness  them  —  but  the  power  is  working  ever 
like  fate  in  the  mingled  material  of  our  life ;  and  it  only 
requires  a  sober  faith^  together  with  a  moderate  observa- 
tion, to  convince  all  men  that  they  are  the  creatures  of 
Beauty,  as  much  as  they  are  of  destiny  and  dust. 

But  there  is  another  consideration  connected  with  this 
subject  —  an  important  one,  too —  and  for  that  reason  we 
have  reserved  it  to  the  last. 

We  are  settled  in  our  conviction  that  there  is  something 
in  Personal  Beauty,  of  a  representative  and  correspondent 
character.  It  represents  a  spiritual  beauty  —  corresponds 
with  a  moral  symmetry.  Though  we  call  it  an  outward 
property,  still  it  must  be  a  picture  of  the  internal.  It 
would  seem  impossible  that  there  can  be  a  speaking  ex- 
pression of  grace  and  loveliness,  upon  a  face  that  is  but  a 
telegraph  of  an  inward  deformity  and  ugliness.  Perhaps 
all  this  may  seem  somewhat  ideal  in  its  philosophy  —  and, 
perhaps,  almost  transcendental.  But  we  hold  it  to  be  true. 
It  certainly  appears  to  us  reasonable  that  the  minor  should 
reflect  the  reality,  as  well  in  this  heaven-made  human- 
ity, as  amid  the  earthy  art  of  our  drawing-rooms.  That 
the  spirit  should  speak  out  in  the  language  of  the  counte- 
nance, is  to  us  as  excellent  sense  as  that  it  should  tell  its 
story  in  protuberances  and  indentations.  Who  can  deny 
this  —  and  where  will  the  argument  fail  ?  We  pause  for 
a  reply. 

Let  us  be  understood,  however.  We  have  no  idea  of 
going  beyond  reason  in  a  theory,  which,  though  it  may 
appear  more  than  plausible  to  us,  may  seem  far  this  side 


XX  PRELmiNART  ESSAY. 

of  plausible  to  others.  Yet  we  think  we  are  borne  out  by 
example.  We  do  not  maintain,  it  will  be  remembered, 
that  beauty  of  person  must  necessarily  be  the  representa- 
tive of 'moral  beauty,  according  to  the  best  and  highest 
definition  of  that  term.  That  definition,  we  presume, 
would  include  the  virtuous  and  the  heavenly.  That  these 
traits  are  unfailing  accompaniments  of  noble  features  — 
the  beautiful  countenance  —  the  finished  form  —  it  would 
be  hazardous  and  foolish  to  assert.  What  we  intend  to  say 
is  this  —  that  we  believe  external  beauty  is  the  represent- 
ation of  an  internal  and  spiritual  quality  of  the  same  na- 
ture. That  Beauty  may  be  spiritual,  though  it  may  not 
be  moral —  the  Beauty  of  Virtue.  It  may  be  the  beauty 
of  superior  and  surpassing  powers  —  the  Beauty  of  Genius. 
It  may  be  the  beauty  of  a  mind,  uncommon  in  its  attrac- 
tions, and  in  its  proportions  beyond  fault  or  question.  It 
maybe  the  beauty  of  intellectual  symmetry — and  this 
may  find  its  speaking  resemblance  in  the  chiseled  face  and 
figure,  as  certainly  as  the  moral  loveliness, of  the  heaven- 
inspired  —  the  emphatically  good  man.  Of  what  more 
perfect  mental  proportions  could  the  human  countenance 
have  been  indicative,  than  the  countenance  of  Napoleon? 
The  symmetry  of  Genius  spake  there,  if  it  ivas  true  —  as 
it  certainly  was  —  that  moral  beauty  had  no  telegraph  in 
that  splendid  sculpture  of  the  man. 

But  we  have  said  as  much  as  we  can  afford  to  —  though 
the  more  particular  subject  of  our  remarks  —  or  what  in 
good  faith  should  have  been,  if  it  has  not  —  Beauty  in 
Woman,  would  seem  to  be  one  on  which  it  would  not  be 
deemed  unknightly  to  give  way  to  a  pretty  expression. 
We  must,  however,  leave  all  considerations  of  gallantry 
on  this  score,  to  others  who  can  amplify  better  than  we 
can,  when  we  have  got  to  the  end  of  our  chapter. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


There  is  perhaps  no  subject  more  universally  or 
more  deeply  interesting  than  that  which  is  the  chief 
subject  of  the  present  work.  Yet  no  book,  even 
pretending  to  science  or  accuracy,  has  hitherto  ap- 
peared upon  it.  The  forms  and  proportions  of 
animals — as  of  the  horse  and  the  dog — have  been 
examined  in  a  hundred  volumes  :  not  one  has  been 
devoted  to  woman,  on  whose  physical  and  moral 
qualities  the  happiness  of  individuals,  and  the  per- 
petual improvement  of  the  human  race,  are  depend- 
ant. 

The  cause  of  this  has  been,  probably,  the  neglect 
on  the  part  of  individuals,  to  combine  anatomical 
and  physiological  knowledge  with  the  critical  ob- 
servation of  the  external  forms  of  woman ;  and, 
perhaps,  some  repugnance  to  anthropological  know- 
ledge on  the  part  of  the  public.  The  last  obstacle, 
if  ever  it  existed,  is  now  gone  by,  as  many  circum- 
stances show ;  and  it  will  be  the  business  of  the 
author,  in  this  work,  to  endeavor  to  obviate  the 
former. 

The  present  work,  beside  giving  new  views  of 
the  theory  of  beauty,  and  of  its  application  to  the 
arts,  presents  an  analysis  and  classification  of  beau- 
ty in  woman.  A  subsequent  work  Avill  apply  the 
1 


ADVEBTISEMENT. 


principles  here  established  to  intermarriages  and 
crossings  among  mankind,  and  will  explain  their 
results  in  relation  to  the  happiness  of  individuals, 
and  to  the  beauty  and  the  freedom  from  insanity  of 
their  offspring.  A  final  work  will  examine  the  rela- 
tions of  woman  in  society,  will  expose  the  extrava- 
gant hypothesis  of  writers  on  this  subject  who 
have  been  ignorant  of  anthropology,  and  will  de- 
scribe the  reforms  which  the  common  interests  of 
mankind  demand  in  this  respect. 

It  is  now  to  be  seen,  whether  a  branch  of  science 
which  is  strictly  founded  on  anatomy  and  physiol- 
ogy—  one  which  entangles  the  reader  in  no  mys- 
tical and  delusive  hypothesis,  and  presents  to  him 
only  indisputable  facts  —  one  which  is  applicable  to 
the  subject  most  universally  and  deeply  interesting 
to  mankind,  the  critical  judgment  of  female  beauty, 
as  founded  on  necessary  functions — and  one  which 
unravels  the  greater  difficulties  which  that  subject 
presents — may  not  excite  and  permanently  com- 
mand a  great  degree  of  public  interest. 

A  preliminary  view  of  the  importance  of  this 
subject  is  given  in  the  first  chapter ;  the  urgency 
of  its  discussion,  in  relation  to  the  interests  of  de- 
cency and  morality,  is  established  in  the  second  ; 
and  some  useful  cautions  as  to  youth  are  offered  in 
the  third. 

In  regard  to  the  importance  of  the  subject,  I 
may,  even  here,  avail  myself  of  the  highest  au- 
thorities. 

Thomas  More,  speaking  of  the  people  of  his 
commonwealth,  says  :  "  They  do  greatly  wonder  at 


ADVERTISEMENT.  8 

the  folly  of  all  other  nations,  which,  in  buying  a 
colt  (whereas,  a  little  money  is  in  hazard),  he  so 
chary  and  circumspect,  that,  though  he  be  almost 
all  bare,  yet  they  will  not  buy  him,  unless  the  sad- 
dle and  all  the  harness  be  taken  off — lest,  under 
those  coverings,  be  hid  some  gall  or  sore.  And  yet, 
in  choosing  a  wife,  which  shall  be  either  pleasure  or 
displeasure  to  them  all  their  life  after,  they  be  so 
reckless,  that,  all  the  residue  of  the  woman's  body 
being  covered  with  clothes,  they  esteem  her  scarce- 
ly by  one  hand-breadth  (for  they  can  see  no  more 
but  her  face),  and  so  to  join  her  to  them,  not  with- 
out great  jeopardy  of  evil  agreeing  together — if 
anything  in  her  body  after\yard  should  chance  to 
offend  and  mislike  them."* 

Francis  Bacon  is  of  similar  opinion. 

Happily,  the  advancement  of  anthropological 
science  in  modern  times,  may,  as  is  here  shown,  be 
so  applied  as  to  render  quite  unnecessary  the  ob- 
jectionable methods  proposed  by  both  these  philoso- 
phers, in  order  to  carry  their  doctrines  into  prac- 
tice. 

Shall  I  be  blamed,  because  I  avail  myself  of  the 
progress  of  knowledge  to  render  all  that  these  great 
men  desired  on  this  subject  of  easy  attainment  and 
inoffensive  to  woman  ?  Shall  I  be  blamed,  because  I 
first  facilitate  that  which  the  still  farther  advance- 
ment of  knovjledge  will  inevitably  render  an  every- 
day occurrence,  and  the  guide  of  the  most  important 
act  of  human  life  ? — I  care  not. 

» ■  — ' -_^_^_-.__«^^__^.....^^ 

•  Utopia,  Book  II.,  chap,  viii. 


4  ADVEKTISEMENT. 

In  the  details  as  to  female  beauty,  it  will  be  seen 
how  incorrectly  Winckelmann  says :  "  In  female 
figures,  the  forms  of  beauty  are  not  so  different, 
nor  the  gradations  so  various,  as  in  those  of  males ; 
and  therefore  in  general  they  present  no  other  dif- 
ference than  that  which  is  dependant  upon  age  .  .  • 
Hence,  in  treating  of  female  beauty,  few  observa- 
tions occur  as  necessary  to  be  made,  and  the  study 
of  the  artist  is  more  limited  and  more  easy  ...  It 
is  to  be  observed,  that,  in  speaking  of  the  resem- 
blance of  nude  female  figures,  I  speak  solely  of  the 
body,  without  concluding  from  it  that  they  also  re- 
semble each  other  in  the  distinctive  characters  of 
the  head,  which  are  particularly  marked  in  each, 
whether  goddess  or  heroine." — The  differences, 
even  in  the  bodies  of  females,  are  here  shown  to  be 
both  numerous  and  capable  of  distinct  classifica- 
tion. 

It  is  right  to  observe,  that  this  work  has  nothing 
to  do  with  an  early  production  of  the  writer,  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  small  value  of  which  prevented 
his  attaching  his  name  to  it,  which  he  now  knows 
to  be  utterly  worthless,  and  which  has  since  been 
vamped  up  with  things  which  are  more  worthless 
still. 

The  most  valuable  features  of  the  present  work 
are  entirely  new  and  original.  Others  are  such  as 
the  writer  thought  not  unworthy  of  preservation 
from  earlier  essays.  He  has  also,  throughout  this 
work,  adopted  from  other  writers,  with  no  other 
alteration  than  accuracy  required,  every  view, 
opinion,  or  remark,  which  he  thought  applicable  to 


ADVERTISEMENT.  5 

a  department  of  science,  of  which  all  the  great 
features  are  new. 

Such  being  the  case,  he  thinks  it  just,  at  once  to 
himself  and  others,  to  indicate  here  the  only  points 
on  which  he  can  himself  lay  any  claim  to  original- 
ity.    These  are  as  follows  :  — 

The  more  complete  establishment  of  the  truth  that, 
in  relation  to  man  and  woman  in  particular,  beauty 
is.  the  external  sign  of  goodness  in  organization 
and  function,  and  thence  its  importance. — Chapter 
I.,  and  the  work  generally. 

The  showing  that  the  discussion  of  this  subject, 
though  involving  the  examination  of  the  naked 
figure,  is  urgent  in  relation  to  decency  (the  theory 
of  which  is  discussed),  morality,  and  happy  inter- 
marriage.—  Chapter  II. 

The  showing  that  the  ancient  religion  was  the 
cause  of  the  perfection  of  the  fine  arts  in  Greece, 
by  its  personification  of  simple  attributes  or  virtues, 
as  objects  of  adoration.  —  Chapter  II. 

The  exposition  of  the  nature,  the  kinds,  and  the 
characteristics  of  beauty ;  and  of  some  errors  of 
Burke,  Knight,  &c.,  on  this  subject.  —  Chapter  IV. 

The  showing  that  there  are  elements  of  beauty 
invariable  in  their  nature  and  effect,  and  that  these 
are  modified  and  complicated  in  advancing  from 
simple  to  complex  beings,  and  the  arts  relating  to 
them.  —  Chapter  VI. 

The  pointing  out  these  elements  of  beauty,  and 
their  mode  of  operation  in  inanimate  beings ;  and 
the  errors  of  Knight  and  Allison  on  this  subject. — 
Sect.  I.,  Chapter  VI. 

1* 


0  ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  pointing  out  these  elements,  and  others 
which  are  superadded,  in  living  beings ;  and  the 
errors  of  Allison  on  this  subject.  —  Sect.  IL,  Chap- 
ter VI. 

The  pointing  out  these  elements,  and  others 
which  are  farther  superadded,  in  thinking  beings  ; 
and  the  errors  of  Burke  and  Knight  on  this  sub- 
ject.— Sect.  III.,  Chapter  VI. 

The  exposition  of  these  elements,  as  differing,  or 
variously  modified,  in  the  useful,  ornamental,  and 
intellectual  arts,  respectively;  and  some  remarks 
on  ornament  in  architecture,  and  in  female  dress.  — 
Sect.  IV.,  Chapter  VI. 

The  explanation  of  the  nature  of  the  picturesque, 
after  the  failure  of  Knight  and  Price  in  this  respect. 
—  Sect.  I.,  Appendix  to  preceding  chapters. 

The  vindication  of  the  doctrine  of  Hobbes,  as  to 
the  cause  of  laughter ;  and  exposition  of  the  errors 
of  Campbell  and  Beattie  on  this  subject.  —  Sect.  II., 
Appendix. 

The  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  pleasure  re- 
ceived from  representations  exciting  pity ;  and  of 
the  errors  of  Burke,  &c.,  on  that  subject.  —  Sect. 
III.,  Appendix. 

The  arrangement  of  anatomy  and  physiology, 
and  the  application  of  the  principles  of  these  scien- 
ces to  the  distinguishing  and  judging  of  beauty.  — 
Chapter  VII. 

The  explanation  of  the  difference  in  the  beauty 
of  the  two  sexes  even  in  the  same  country.  —  Chap- 
ter IX. 

Various  arguments  establishing  the  standard  of 


ADVERTISEMENT.  7 

beauty  in  woman ;  and  exposure  of  the  sophistry  of 
Knight,  on  this  subject. — Chapter  X. 

The  showing,  by  the  preceding  arrangements, 
that  the  ancient  temperaments  are  partial  or  com- 
plex views  of  anthropological  phenomena.  —  Chap- 
ter XL,  et  seq. 

The  description  of  the  first  species  of  beauty,  or 
that  of  the  locomotive  system,  and  of  its  varieties, 
as  founded  on  examination  of  structure.  —  Chapter 
XII. 

The  description  of  the  second  species  of  beauty, 
or  that  of  the  nutritive  system,  and  of  its  varieties, 
as  founded  on  examination  of  structure.  —  Chapter 
XIII. 

The  description  of  the  third  species  of  beauty, 
or  that  of  the  thinking  system,  and  of  its  varieties, 
as  founded  on  examination  of  structure. — Chapter 
XIV. 

The  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  deformity 
produced  by  the  obliquely  placed  eyes  of  the  Chi- 
nese, &c.  —  Chapter  XV. 

The  explanation  of  the  mode  in  which  the  action 
of  the  muscles  of  the  face  becomes  physiognomi- 
cally  expressive. — Ibid. 

The  explanation  of  the  physiognomical  character 
of  the  different  kinds  of  the  hair.  —  Ibid. 

The  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  different  ef- 
fects of  the  same  face,  even  in  a  state  of  repose.—- 
Ibid. 

The  indication  of  the  faulty  feature,  and  its 
gradual  increase,  even  in  beautiful  faces. — Ibid. 


8  ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  exposition  of  the  different  organization  of 
Greek  and  Roman  heads. — Ibid. 

The  explanation  of  the  combinations  and  transi- 
tions of  beauty.  —  Chapter  XVI. 

The  explanation  of  the  numerical,  geometrical, 
and  harmonic  methods  of  proportion,  employed  by 
the  ancient  Greeks.  —  Chapter  XVII. 

Some  remarks  on  character,  expression,  and  de- 
tail in  art. — Ibid. 

Some  observations  on  the  Greek  forehead,  actual 
as  well  as  ideal.  —  Chapter  XVIII. 

The  explanation  of  the  reason  of  the  Greek  ideal 
rule,  as  to  the  proportion  between  the  forehead  and 
the  other  parts  of  the  face.  —  Ibid. 

The  explanation  of  the  reason  of  the  Greek  ideal 
rule,  as  to  the  profile  of  the  forehead  and  nose,  or 
as  to  the  direction  of  the  mesial  line  which  they 
form,  and  the  exposition  of  Winckelmann's  blunder 
respecting  it.  —  Ibid. 

The  explanation  of  the  reason  why  the  Greeks 
suppressed  all  great  degrees  of  impassioned  ex- 
pression.—  Ibid. 

The  mere  indication  of  the  Greek  idealizations 
as  applied  to  the  nutritive  and  locomotive  systems, 
and  the  explanation  of  the  latter  in  the  Apollo.  — 
Ibid. 

The  replies  to  the  objections  of  Burke  and  Ali- 
son, as  to  ideal  beauty.  —  Ibid. 

The  enunciation  of  the  ideal  in  attitude. — Ibid. 

Various  views  as  to  the  Venus  de  Medici,  the 
conformation  of  the  nose,  and  the  connexion  of 


ADVEETISEMENT.  9 

odor  with  love,  in  animals  and  plants.  —  Chapter 
XIX. 

Some  remarks  on  the  Venus  de  Medici.  —  Ibid. 

The  pointing  out  and  explanation  of  various  de- 
fects in  beauty.  —  Chapter  XX. 

The  pointing  out  and  explanation  of  various  ex- 
ternal indications  of  figure,  beauty,  mind,  habits, 
and  age.  —  Chapter  XXI. 

The  writer  may  possibly  be  mistaken  as  to  the 
originality  of  one  or  two  of  these  points ;  but,  leav- 
ing the  critical  reader  to  deduct  as  many  of  these 
as  it  is  in  his  power  to  do,  enough  of  novelty  would 
remain  for  the  writer's  ambition,  in  this  respect,  if 
he  had  done  no  more  than  exposed  the  errors  of 
Burke,  Knight,  Alison,  &c.,  and  established  the 
true  doctrine  of  beauty,  in  the  first  chapters  — 
given  an  analysis  and  classification  of  beauty  in 
woman,  in  the  chapters  which  follow  —  and  applied 
this  to  the  fine  arts,  and  solved  the  difficulty  of 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  &c.,  in  the  last  chapters. 


ANALYSIS  AND    CLASSIFICATION 


OF 


BEAUTY   IN    WOMAN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

It  is  observed  by  Home,  in  his  "  Elements  of 
Criticism,"  that  a  perception  of  beauty  in  external 
objects  is  requisite  to  attach  us  to  them  j  that  it 
greatly  promotes  industry,  by  promoting  a  desire 
to  possess  things  that  are  beautiful ;  and  that  it 
farther  joins  with  utility,  in  prompting  us  to  em- 
bellish our  houses  and  enrich  our  fields.  "  These, 
however,"  he  says,  "  are  but  slight  effects,  com- 
pared with  the  connexions  which  are  formed  among 
individuals  in  society  by  means  of  this  singular 
mechanism :  the  qualifications  of  the  head  and 
heart  are  undoubtedly  the  most  solid  and  most 
permanent  foundations  of  such  connexions ;  but  as 
external  beauty  lies  more  in  view,  and  is  more  ob- 
vious to  the  bulk  of  mankind,  than  the  qualities 
now  mentioned,  the  sense  of  beauty  possesses  the 
more  universal  influence  in  forming  these  connex- 
ions ;  at  any  rate,  it  concurs  in  an  eminent  degree, 


12  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

with  mental  qualifications,  to  produce  social  inter- 
course, mutual  good-will,  and,  consequently,  mu- 
tual aid  and  support,  which  are  the  life  of  so- 
ciety." 

Dr.  Pritchard  similarly  observes,  that  "the  per- 
ception of  beauty  is  the  chief  principle  in  every 
country  which  directs  men  in  their  marriages." 

Advancing  a  step  farther.  Sir  Anthony  Carlisle 
thinks  a  taste  for  beauty  worthy  of  being  culti- 
vated. "Man,"  he  observes,  "dwells  with  felicity 
even  on  ideal  female  attributes,  and  in  imagination 
discovers  beauties  and  perfections  w'hich  solace 
his  wearied  hours,  far  beyond  any  other  resource 
within  the  scope  of  human  life.  It  cannot,  then, 
be  unwise  to  cultivate  and  refine  this  natural  ten- 
dency, and  to  enhance,  if  possible,  these  charms  of 
life.  We  increase  and  heighten  all  our  pleasures 
by  awakening  and  cultivating  reflections  which  do 
not  exist  in  a  state  of  ignorance.  Thus,  the  bot- 
anist perceives  elegances  in  plants  and  flowers  un- 
known and  unfelt  by  the  vulgar,  and  the  landscape- 
painter  revels  in  natural  or  imaginary  scenery,  with 
feelings  which  are  unknown  to  the  multitude.  It 
would  be  absurd  to  pretend  that  the  more  exquisite 
and  more  deeply  attractive  beauty  of  woman  is  not 
worthy  of  more  profound,  as  well  as  more  univer- 
sal cultivation." 

Such  are  the  observations  of  philosophical  an- 
thropologists, who,  nevertheless,  in  these  remarks, 
consider  mere  physical  beauty  independent  of  its 
connexion  with  corresponding  functions  or  moral 
qualities. 


IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  ST^BJECT.  13 

If,  however,  the  external  beauty  of  woman,  cal- 
culated as  it  is  to  flatter  the  most  experienced  eye, 
limited  its  effect  to  a  local  impression,  to  an  opti- 
cal enjoyment,  the  sentiment  of  beauty  would  be 
far  from  having  all  its  extent  and  value.  Happily, 
ideas  of  goodness,  of  suitableness,  of  sympathy, 
of  progressive  perfection,  and  of  mutual  happiness, 
are,  by  an  intimate  and  inevitable  association,  con- 
nected with  the  first  impression  made  by  the  sight 
of  beauty. 

The  foundation  of  this  feeling  is  well  expressed 
by  Dr.  Pritchard,  in  his  observation  that  "  the  idea 
of  beauty  of  person  is  synonymous  with  that  of 
health  and  perfect  organization." 

Hence,  it  has  been  observed,  the  great  ideal 
models  of  beauty  please  us,  not  merely  because 
their  forms  are  disposed  and  combined  so  as  to 
affect  agreeably  the  organ  of  sight,  but  because 
their  exterior  appears  to  correspond  to  admirable 
qualities,  and  to  announce  an  elevation  in  the  con- 
dition of  humanity.  Such  do  the  Greek  monu- 
ments appear  to  physiologists  and  philosophical 
artists,  whose  minds  pass  rapidly  from  the  beauty 
of  forms  to  that  locomotive,  vital,  or  mental  excel- 
lence which  it  compels  them  to  suppose. 

Goodness  and  beauty  in  woman  will  accordingly 
be  found  to  bear  a  strict  relation  to  each  other ; 
and  the  latter  will  be  seen  always  to  be  the  exter- 
nal sign  of  the  former. 

There  are,  however  (slightly  to  anticipate  what 
must  afterward  be  explained),  different  kinds,  both 
of  beauty  and  of  goodness,  which  are  confounded 
2 


14>  IMPOKTANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

by  vulgar  observers ;  or  rather  there  are  beauty 
and  goodness  belonging  to  different  systems  of 
which  the  body  is  composed,  and  which  ought 
never  to  be  confounded  with  each  other. 

Where,  consequently,  one  of  these  kinds  of 
beauty  and  of  goodness  is  wanting,  even  in  a  re- 
markable degree,  others  may  be  found  ;  and,  as  the 
vulgar  do  not  distinguish,  it  is  this  which  leads  to 
the  gross  error  that  these  qualities  have  no  strict 
relations  to  their  signs. 

Want  of  beauty,  then,  in  any  one  of  the  systems 
of  which  the  body  is  composed,  indicates  want  of 
goodness  only  in  that  system ;  but  it  is  not  less  a 
truth,  and  scarcely  of  less  importance,  on  that  ac- 
count.— I  will  now  illustrate  this  by  brief  exam- 
ples. 

There  may,  in  any  mdividual,  exist  deformity  of 
limbs ;  and  this  will  assuredly  indicate  want  of 
goodness  in  the  locomotive  system,  of  that  or  gen- 
eral motion.  There  may  exist  coarseness  of  skin, 
or  paleness  of  complexion  ;  and  either  of  these  will 
as  certainly  indicate  want  of  goodness  in  the  vital 
system,  or  that  of  nutrition.  There  may  exist  a 
malformation  of  the  brain,  externally  evident ;  and 
this  no  less  certainly  will  indicate  want  of  goodness 
in  the  mental  system,  or  that  of  thought. 

It  follows  that  even  the  different  kinds  and  com- 
binations of  beauty,  which  are  the  objects  of  taste 
to  different  persons,  are  founded  upon  the  same 
general  principle  of  organic  superiority.  Nay, 
even  the  preferences  which,  in  beauty,  appear  to 
depend  most  on  fancy,  depend  in  reality  on  that 


IMPORTANCE   OF   THE    SUBJECT.  15 

cause ;  and  the  impression  which  every  degree  and 
modification  of  beauty  makes  on  mankind,  has  as  a 
fundamental  rule  only  their  sentiment,  more  or  less 
delicate  and  just,  of  physical  advantage  in  relation 
to  each  individual.  Such  is  the  foundation  of  all 
our  sentiments  of  admiration  and  of  love. 

The  existence  or  non-existence  of  these  advan- 
tages, and  the  power  of  determining  this,  or  the 
judgment  of  beauty,  are  therefore  of  transcendent 
importance  to  individuals  and  to  families.  Such 
judgment  can  be  attained  by  analysis  and  classifi- 
cation alone.  Nothing,  therefore,  can  more  nearly 
aflTect  all  human  interests  than  that  analysis  and 
classification  of  beauty  which  are  here  proposed. 

To  place  beyond  a  doubt,  and  to  illustrate  more 
minutely,  the  extraordinary  importance  of  this 
subject,  as  regards  advantages  real  to  the  species, 
I  may  anticipate  some  of  the  more  minute  applica- 
tions of  my  doctrine. 

If,  in  the  locomotive  system  of  the  female,  much 
of  the  delicacy  of  form,  and  the  ease  and  grace  of 
her  movements,  depend  upon  the  more  perfect  de- 
velopment of  the  muscles  of  the  pelvis,  and  its 
easily  adapting  itself  to  great  and  remarkable 
changes,  how  important  must  be  the  ability  to 
determine,  even  by  walk  or  gesture,  the  existence 
of  this  condition ! 

If,  in  the  vital  system,  the  elasticity  and  fresh- 
ness of  the  skin  are  the  characteristics  of  health, 
and  their  absence  "warns  us  that  the  condition  of 
woman  is  unfavorable  to  the  plan  of  nature  rela- 
tively to  the  maintenance  of  the  species  —  or,  if 


16  IMPORTANCE    OF   THE    SUBJECT. 

the  capacity  of  the  pelvis,  and  the  consequent 
breadth  of  the  haunches,  are  necessary  to  all  those 
functions  Avhich  are  most  essentially  feminine, 
impregnation,  gestation,  and  parturition,  without 
danger  either  to  parent  or  to  child  —  of  what  ex- 
treme importance  must  be  the  ability  to  determine 
this  with  certainty  and  ease  ! 

If,  in  the  mental  system,  the  capacity  and  deli- 
cacy of  the  organs  of  sense,  and  the  softness  and 
mobility  of  the  nervous  system,  are  necessary  to 
the  vivid  and  varying  sensibility  of  woman  —  if  it 
is  in  consequence  of  this,  that  woman  is  enabled  to 
act  on  man  by  the  continual  observation  of  all  that 
can  captivate  his  imagination  or  secure  his  affec- 
tion, and  by  the  irresistible  seduction  of  her  man- 
ners —  if  it  is  these  qualities  which  enable  her  to 
accommodate  herself  to  his  taste,  to  yield,  Avithout 
constraint,  even  to  the  caprice  of  the  moment,  and 
to  seize  the  time  when  observations,  made  as  it 
were  accidentallj',  may  produce  the  effect  which 
she  desires — if  it  is  by  these  means  that  she  fulfils 
her  first  duty,  namely,  to  please  him  to  whom  she 
has  united  her  days,  and  to  attach  him  to  her  and 
to  home  by  rendering  both  delightful  —  if  all  this 
is  the  case,  of  what  inexpressible  importance  must 
be  the  ability  to  determine,  in  each  individual,  the 
possession  of  the  power  and  the  will  to  produce 
such  effects ! 

If  (descending  to  still  more  minute  inquiries) 
external  indications  as  to  figure  are  required  as  to 
parts  concealed  by  drapery  —  if  such  indications 
would  obviate  deception  even  with  regard  to  those 


IMPORTANCE    OP    THE    SUBJECT.  17 

parts  of  the  figure  which  are  more  exposed  to  ob- 
servation by  the  closer  adaptation  of  dress  —  if, 
even  when  the  face  is  seen,  the  deception  as  to  the 
degree  of  beauty,  is  such  that  a  correct  estimate 
of  it  is  perhaps  never  formed  —  if  indications  as 
to  mind  may  be  derived  from  many  external  cir- 
cumstances—  if  external  indications  as  to  the 
personal  habits  of  women  are  both  numerous  and 
interesting  —  if  such  indications  even  of  age  and 
health  are  sometimes  essential  —  if  all  this  be  the 
case,  let  the  reader  say  what  other  object  of  human 
inquiry  exceeds  this  in  importance. 

Let  us  not  then  deceive  ourselves  respecting  the 
source  of  those  impressions  which  one  sex  experi- 
ences from  the  sight  of  the  other.  It  is  evidently 
nothing  else  than  the  more  or  less  delicate  and  just 
perception  of  a  certain  conformity  of  means  with  a 
want  which  has  been  created  by  nature,  and  which 
must  be  satisfied. 

"  It  is  very  obvious,"  says  Dr.  Pritchard,  "  that 
this  peculiarity  in  the  constitution  of  man  must 
have  considerable  effects  on  the  physical  character 
of  the  race,  and  that  it  must  act  as  a  constant  prin- 
ciple of  improvement,  supplying  the  place  in  our 
own  kind  of  the  beneficial  control  [in  the  crossing 
of  races]  which  we  exercise  over  the  brute  crea- 
tion." And  he  adds :  "  This  is  probably  the  final 
cause  for  which  the  instinctive  perception  of  hu- 
man beauty  was  implanted  by  Providence  in  our 
nature." 

We  need  not  wonder,  then,  that  the  Greeks 
should  have  preferred  beauty  to  all  other  advanta- 
2* 


tB  IMPOETANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

ges,  should  have  placed  it  immediately  after  virtue 
in  the  order  of  their  affections,  or  should  have 
made  it  an  object  of  worship. 

Even  the  practical  application  of  this  principle 
to  the  improvement  of  the  human  race  is  not  a 
matter  of  conjecture.  We  have  seen  both  families 
and  nations  ameliorated  by  the  means  which  it 
affords.  Of  this,  the  Turks  are  a  striking  exam- 
ple. Nothing,  therefore,  can  better  deserve  the 
researches  of  the  physiologist,  or  the  exertions  of 
the  philanthropist,  than  the  fact  that  there  are  laws, 
of  which  we  have  yet  only  a  glimpse,  according  to 
which  we  may  influence  the  amelioration  of  the 
human  race  in  a  manner  the  most  extensive  and 
profound,  by  acting  according  to  a  uniform  and 
uninterrupted  system. 

Well  might  Cabanis  exclaim :  "  After  having 
occupied  ourselves  so  curiously  with  the  means  of 
rendering  more  beautiful  and  better  the  races  of 
animals  or  of  plants  which  are  useful  or  agreeable 
—  after  having  remodelled  a  hundred  times  that  of 
horses  and  dogs  —  after  having  transplanted,  graft- 
ed, cultivated,  in  all  manners,  fruits  and  flowers  — 
how  shameful  is  it  to  have  totally  neglected  the 
race  of  man !  As  if  it  affected  us  less  nearly  !  as 
if  it  were  more  essential  to  have  large  and  strong 
oxen  than  vigorous  and  healthy  men,  highly  odor- 
ous peaches  or  finely  striped  tulips,  than  wise  and 
good  citizens  !" 

I  actually  know  a  man  who  is  so  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  doctrine  of  crossing,  that  every  hour 
of  his  life  is  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  a  race 


IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  19 

of  bantam  fowls  and  curious  pigeons,  and  who 
yet  married  a  mad  woman,  whom  he  confines  in 
a  garret,  and  by  whom  he  has  some  insane  pro- 
geny. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  the  discovery  of  the 
precise  laws  of  crossing  or  intermarriage,  and  the 
best  direction  of  physical  living  forces,  in  relation 
both  to  the  vital  faculties  and  to  those  of  the  mind, 
upon  which  knowledge  and  skill  may  operate  for 
the  improvement  of  our  race,  is  a  matter  of  diffi- 
culty. 

It  will  be  shown  in  this  work,  that  there  exist 
not  only  an  influence  of  beauty  and  defects  on 
offspring,  but  peculiar  laws  regulating  the  resem- 
blance of  progeny  to  parents  —  laws  which  regard 
the  mode  in  which  the  organization  of  parents  af- 
fects that  of  children,  or  regulates  the  organs  which 
each  parent  respectively  bestows. 

It  will  accordingly  be  shown,  that,  as,  on  the 
size,  form,  and  proportion,  of  the  various  organs, 
depend  their  functions,  the  importance  of  such 
laws  is  indescribable  —  whether  we  regard  inter- 
marriages, and  that  immunity  from  mental  or  bod- 
ily disease  which,  when  well  directed,  they  may 
ensure,  or  the  determination  of  the  parentage  of  a 
child  —  or  the  education  of  children,  in  conformity 
with  their  faculties — or  the  employment  of  men 
in  society. 

I  conclude  this  brief  view  in  the  words  of  the 
writer  just  quoted  :  "  It  is  assuredly  time  for  us  to 
attempt  to  do  for  ourselves  that  which  we  have 
done  so  successfully  for  several  of  our  companions 


20  IMPOETANCE  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

in  existence,  to  review  and  correct  this  work  of 
nature  —  a  noble  enterprise,  which  truly  merits  all 
our  cares,  and  which  nature  itself  appears  to  have 
especially  recommended  to  us  by  the  sympathies 
and  the  powers  which  it  has  given  us." 


UEGENCY  OF  THE  DISCUSSION,  ETC.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

URGENCY  OF  THE   DISCUSSION    OF  THIS  SUBJECT  IN  RELA- 
TION TO  THE  INTERESTS  OF  DECENCY  AND  MORALITY. 

It  has  now  been  seen  that  beauty  results  from 
the  perfection,  chiefly  of  external  forms,  and  the 
correspondence  of  that  perfection  with  superiority 
of  internal  functions  j  on  the  more  or  less  perfect 
perception  of  which,  love,  intermarriage,  and  the 
condition  of  our  race,  are  dependant. 

This  mode  of  considering  the  elements,  the  na- 
ture, and  the  consequences  of  beauty,  is  equally 
applicable  to  the  two  sexes  ;  but,  in  woman,  the 
form  of  the  species  presents  peculiar  modifica- 
tions. 

In  this  work,  it  is  the  form  of  woman  which  is 
chosen  for  examination,  because  it  will  be  found, 
by  the  contrast  which  is  perpetually  necessary,  to 
involve  a  knowledge  of  the  form  of  man,  because 
it  is  best  calculated  to  ensure  attention  from  men, 
and  because  it  is  men  who,  exercising  the  power 
of  selection,  have  alone  the  ability  thus  to  ensure 
individual  happiness,  and  to  ameliorate  the  species  j 
which  are  the  objects  of  this  work. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  the  views  now  taken 
are  less  favorable  to  woman  than  to  man.     What- 


22  TmGENCY  OF  THE  DISCUSSION 

ever  ensures  the  happiness  of  one  ensures  that  of 
the  other ;  and  as  the  variety  of  forms  and  func- 
tions in  man  requires  as  many  varieties  in  woman, 
it  is  not  to  exclusion  or  rejection  with  regard  to 
woman  that  this  work  tends,  hut  to  a  reasoned 
guidance  in  man's  choice,  to  the  greater  suitable- 
ness of  all  intermarriages,  and  to  the  greater  hap- 
piness of  woman  as  well  as  man,  both  in  herself 
and  in  her  progeny. 

But  notwithstanding  the  importance  of  any  work 
which  is  in  any  degree  calculated  to  promote  such 
an  object,  some  will  tell  us  that  the  analysis  of 
female  beauty,  on  which  it  can  alone  be  founded, 
is  indelicate.  —  I  shall,  on  the  contrary,  show  that 
decency  demands  this  analysis  ;  that  the  interests 
of  nature,  of  truth,  of  the  arts,  and  of  morality,  de- 
mand it. 

Our  present  notions  of  sexual  decency  belong 
more  to  art  than  to  nature,  and  may  be  divided  into 
artificial  and  artful  deciencies. 

Artificial  decencies  are  illustrated  in  the  habits 
of  various  nations.  They  have  their  origin  in  cold 
countries,  where  clothing  is  necessary,  and  where 
a  deviation  from  the  degree  or  mode  of  clothing 
constitutes  indecency.  They  could  not  exist  in 
hot  climates,  where  clothing  is  scarcely  possible. 

In  hot  climates,  natural  decency  can  alone  exist; 
and  there  is  not,  I  believe,  one  traveller  in  such 
countries  whose  works  do  not  prove  that  natural 
decency  there  exists  as  much  as  in  cold  countries. 
In  exemplification  of  this,  I  make  a  single  quota- 
tion :  it  would  be  easy  to  make  thousands.     Bur» 


AS  to  DECENCY  AND  MOKALlfV.  23 

chell,  speaking  of  the  Bushmen  Hottentots,  says : 
"  The  natural  bashful  reserve  of  youth  and  inno- 
cence is  to  be  seen  as  much  among  these  savages, 
as  in  more  polished  nations ;  and  the  young  girls, 
though  wanting  but  little  of  being  perfectly  naked, 
evinced  as  just  a  sense  of  modesty  as  the  most 
rigid  and  careful  education  could  have  given 
them." 

In  mild  climates,  the  half-clothed  or  slightly- 
clothed  people  appear  to  be  somewhat  at  a  loss 
what  to  do.  Fond  of  decorations,  like  all  savage 
or  half-civilized  people,  they  seem  to  be  divided 
between  the  tatooing  and  painting  of  hot  climates, 
and  the  clothing  of  cold  ones  ;  and  when  they 
adopt  the  latter,  they  do  not  rightly  know  what  to 
conceal 

The  works  of  all  travellers  afford  the  same  illus- 
trations of  this  fact.  I  quote  one.  Kotzebue  de- 
scribes the  custom  among  the  Tartar  women  of 
Kasan,  of  flying  or  of  concealing  their  countenance 
from  the  sight  of  a  stranger.  The  necessity  of 
conforming  to  this  custom  threw  into  great  embar- 
rassment a  young  woman  who  was  obliged  to  pass 
several  times  before  the  German  traveller.  She  at 
first  concealed  her  face  with  her  hands ;  but,  soon 
embarrassed  by  that  attitude,  she  removed  the  veil 
which  covered  her  bosom,  and  threw  it  over  her 
face.  "  That,"  adds  Kotzebue,  "  was,  as  we  say, 
uncovering  Paul  to  cover  Jacques :  the  bosom  re- 
mained naked.  To  cover  that,  she  next  showed 
what  should  have  been  concealed ;  and  if  any- 
thing escaped   from  her  hands,   she  stooped,  and 


24  TTEGENCY  OF  THE  DISCUSSION 

then,"  says  Kotzebue,  "  I  saw  both  one  and  the 
other." 

In  colder  or  more  uncertain  climates,  the  great- 
est degree  of  covering  constitutes  the  greatest  de- 
gree of  artificial  decency  :  fashion  and  decency  are 
confounded.  Among  old-fashioned  people,  of  whom 
a  good  example  may  be  found  in  old  countrywomen 
of  the  middle  class  in  England,  it  is  indecent  to  be 
seen  with  the  head  unclothed ;  such  a  woman  is 
terrified  at  the  chance  of  being  seen  in  that  condi- 
tion J  and  if  intruded  on  at  such  a  time,  she  shrieks 
with  terror  and  flies  to  conceal  herself.  In  the 
equally  polished  dandy  of  the  metropolis,  it  is  in- 
decent to  be  seen  without  gloves.  Which  of  these 
respectable  creatures  is  the  most  enlightened,  I  do 
not  take  upon  me  to  say ;  but  I  believe  that  the 
majority  of  suffrages  would  be  in  favor  of  the  old 
woman. 

So  entirely  are  these  decencies  artificial,  that  any 
number  of  them  may  easily  be  created,  not  merely 
with  regard  to  man  or  woman,  but  even  with  regard 
to  domesticated  animals.  If  it  should  please  some 
persons  partially  to  clothe  horses,  cows,  or  dogs,  it 
would  ere  long  be  felt  that  their  appearing  in  the 
streets  without  trowsers  or  aprons  was  grossly  in- 
decent. We  might  thus  create  a  real  feeling  of  in- 
decency, the  perception  of  a  new  impurity,  which 
would  take  the  place  of  the  former  absence  of  all 
impure  thought,  and  once  established,  the  evil 
would  be  as  real  as  our  whims  have  made  it  in 
other  respects. 

Moral  feeling  is  deeply  injured  by  this  substitu- 


AS  TO  DECENCY  AND  MORALITY.         25 

tion  of  impure  thoughts,  however  fancifully  found- 
ed, for  pure  ones,  or  rather  for  the  entire  absence 
of  thought  about  worthless  things.  Artificial  crimes 
are  thus  made,  which  are  not  the  less  real  because 
artificial ;  for  if  aught  of  this  kind  is  believed  to 
be  right,  there  is  weakness  or  wrong  in  its  viola- 
tion. But  violated  it  must  be,  if  it  were  but  acci- 
dentally. 

To  corrupt  minds,  this  very  violation  of  artificial 
decency  in  the  case  of  woman  affords  the  zest  for 
the  sake  of  which  many  of  these  decencies  seem 
to  have  been  instituted ;  and  thus  are  created  the 
artful  decencies. 

The  purpose  and  the  zest  of  artful  decency  are 
well  illustrated  by  coquetry.  Coquetry  adopts  a 
general  concealment,  which  it  well  knows  can 
alone  give  a  sensual  and  seductive  power  to  mo- 
mentary exposure.  Coquetry  eschews  permanent 
exposure  as  the  bane  of  sensuality  and  seduction  ; 
and  where  these  are  great,  as  among  the  women  of 
Spain,  the  concealment  of  dress  is  increased,  even 
in  warm  climates.  Nothing  can  throw  greater 
light  than  this  does  on  the  nature  of  these  decen- 
cies. 

That  coquetry  has  well  calculated  her  procedure, 
does  not  admit  of  a  doubt.  She  appeals  to  imagi- 
nation, which  she  knows  will  spread  charms  over 
even  ugly  forms ;  she  seeks  the  concealment  un- 
der which  sensuality  and  lust  are  engendered  ;  and, 
in  marriage,  she  at  last  lifts  the  veil  which  grati- 
fies, only  to  disgust,  and  repays  a  sensual  halluci- 
nation by  years  of  misery. 
3 


26  URGENCY  OF  THE  DISCUSSION 

Ought  religion  to  claim  the  right  of  saying  grace 
to  such  unveiling  of  concealment  and  the  nuptial 
rites  that  follow  it  1  Ought  religion  to  profit  by 
the  impurities  of  sexual  association  1  Marriage  is 
a  civil  ceremony  in  other  countries,  even  in  Scot- 
land. Such  profane  and  profitable  sanctions  have 
nothing  to  do  with  primitive  Christianity  :  they  are 
abhorrent  to  its  letter  as  well  as  to  its  spirit.  But 
worldly  and  profitable  religion  is  connected  in  busi- 
ness with  government,  under  the  firm  of  Church 
and  State,  and  drives  a  thriving  trade,  in  which  the 
junior  partner  is  contented  with  the  profit  arising 
from  the  common  acts  of  life,  while  the  senior  one 
draws  much  of  his  living  from  other  rites.* 

What  is  said  here,  is  no  argument  for  liv'ing 
nudity :  that,  our  climate  and  our  customs  forbid ; 
and,  in  so  doing,  we  can  only  regret  that  they  are 
unfavorable  to  natural  purity  ;  w^iile  perfect  famil- 
iarity with  the  figure  ensures  that  feeling  in  the 
highest  degree. 

A  distinguished  artist  informs  me  that  greater 
modesty  is  nowhere  to  be  seen  than  at  the  Life 
academy ;  and  it  was  an  observation  of  the  great 
Flaxman,  that  "  the  students,  in  entering  the  acad- 
emy, seemed  to  hang  up  their  passions  with  their 
hats."  I  can,  from  personal  experience,  give  the 
same  testimony  in  behalf  of  medical  students  at  the 
dissecting-rooms.     The  familiarity  of  both  these 


•  I  do  not  wish  to  be  forced  into  any  discussion  of  tMs  last  point. 
But,  if  necessary,  I  shall  not  decline  it. 


AS    TO   DECENCY   AND    MORALITY.  27 

classes  with  natural  beauty  leads  them  only  to  seek 
to  inform  their  minds  and  to  purify  their  taste.* 

Sinibaldi  observes,  that  "  nothing  is  more  injuri- 
ous to  morals  and  to  health,  than  the  incitements 
of  the  women  who  in  such  numbers  walk  our 
streets,"  and  that  "  the  laws  as  to  offences  against 
morals  ought  certainly  to  afTect  them  the  moment 
their  language  or  actions  can  be  deemed  offensive." 
But  it  is  not  to  those  who  are  critically  conversant 
with  the  highest  beauty  of  the  human  figure,  that 
defective  forms,  ill-painted  skins,  rude  manners, 
and  contagious  diseases,  are  at  all  seductive. 

Nothing,  then,  can  be  more  favorable  to  virtue 
than  the  decoration  of  every  house  with  the  beau- 
tiful copies  of  the  glorious  works  of  ancient  Greece ; 
and  it  is  only  humiliating  to  think  that  what  has 
been  so  extensively  done  in  this  respect  in  the  best 
houses,  is  less  owing  to  our  own  taste  than  to  the 
poor  wanderers  from  Lvicca  or  Barga.  Experiment 
on  this  subject  is  peculiarly  easy  in  London :  let 
any  one  spend  an  hour  in  the  shop  of  the  very  able 
Mr.  Sarti,  of  Dean  street,  where  he  will  meet  the 
most  liberal  attention,  and  let  him  ask  himself,  in 
coming  out,  whether  his  moral  feeling,  as  well  as 
his  taste,  is  not  improved. 

Those  who  cannot  make  this  experiment,  will 
perhaps  be  satisfied  with  the  assurance  of  Hogarth, 
who  says :  "  The  rest  of  the  body,  not  having  ad- 
vantages in  common  with  the  face,  would  soon  sa- 

♦  We  fear  that  Mr.  Walker's  analogical  reasoning  here  is  not 
Very  conclusive.  To  reason  from  a  living  to  a  dead  subject  may  ba 
Very  logical,  but  it  is  not  altogether  satisfactory. 


28  tTRGENCy    OF    THE    DISCUSSION 

tiate  the  eye,  were  it  to  be  as  constantly  exposed, 
nor  would  it  have  more  effect  than  a  marble  statue." 
Surely  this  is  decisive  enough  in  its  way !  Now  let 
them  mark  what  follows.  "But,"  he  continues, 
"  when  it  is  artfully  clothed  and  decorated,  the  mind 
at  every  turn  resumes  its  imaginary  pursuits  con- 
cerning it.  Thus,  if  I  may  be  allowed  a  simile,  the. 
angler  chooses  not  to  see  the  fish  he  angles  for, 
until  it  is  fairly  caught."  He  meant  of  course  — 
^^  the  fish  chooses  not  to  see  the  angler,  until  it  is 
fairly  caught !" 

Be  it  known  then  to  all,  even  the  most  aristo- 
cratic as  to  sexual  association  —  I  say  the  most 
aristocratic,  and  not  the  most  religious,  because 
religion  is  in  some  countries  made  the  pander  to 
aristocracy  —  be  it  known  that  the  critical  judg- 
ment and  pure  taste  for  beauty  are  the  sole  protec- 
tion against  low  and  degrading  connexions. 

Home  observes  that  "the  sense  of  beauty  does 
not  tend  to  advance  the  interests  of  society,  but 
when  in  a  due  mean  with  respect  to  strength.  Love 
in  particular  arising  from  a  sense  of  beauty,  loses, 
Avhen  excessive,  its  sociable  character  :  the  appetite 
for  gratification,  prevailing  over  affection  for  the 
beloved  object,  is  ungovernable,  and  tends  violently 
to  its  end,  regardless  of  the  misery  that  must  fol- 
low. Love  in  this  state  is  no  longer  a  sweet  agree- 
able passion  :  it  becomes  painful,  like  hunger  or 
thirst,  and  produces  no  happiness  but  in  the  instant 
of  fruition.  This  discovery  suggests  a  most  im- 
portant lesson,  that  moderation  in  our  desires  and 
appetites,  which  fits  us  for  doing  our  duty,  contrib- 


AS   TO   DECENCY   AND    MORALITY.  29 

utes  at  the  same  time  the  most  to  happiness  :  even 
social  passions,  when  moderate,  are  more  pleasant 
than  when  they  swell  beyond  proper  bounds." 
Payne  Knight  says  :  "  When,  at  the  age  of  puberty, 
animal  desire  obtrudes  itself  on  a  mind  already 
qualified  to  feel  and  enjoy  the  charms  of  intellectual 
merit,  the  imagination  immediately  begins  to  form 
pictures  of  perfection,  by  exaggerating  and  combi- 
ning in  one  hypothetic  object  every  excellence  that 
can  possibly  belong  to  the  whole  sex  ;  and  the  first 
individual  that  meets  the  eye,  with  any  exterior 
signs  of  any  of  these  ideal  excellences,  is  immedi- 
ately decorated  with  them  all,  by  the  creative  magic 
of  a  vigorous  and  fertile  fancy.  Hence,  she  in- 
stantaneously becomes  the  object  of  the  most  fer- 
vent affection,  which  is  as  instantaneously  cooled 
by  possession  :  for,  as  it  was  not  the  object  herself, 
but  a  false  idea  of  her  raised  in  heated  imagination, 
that  called  forth  all  the  lover's  raptures,  all  imme- 
diately vanish  at  the  detection  of  his  delusion  ;  and 
a  degree  of  disgust  proportioned  to  the  disappoint- 
ment, of  which  it  is  the  inevitable  consequence, 
instantly  succeeds.  Thus  it  happens  that  what  are 
called  love-matches  are  seldom  or  ever  happy." 

Now,  nothing  can  more  effectually  prevent  even 
the  existence  of  the  mania  described  by  these  two 
philosophers  than  a  critical  judgment  and  a  pure 
taste  for  beauty,  which  again  therefore  are  the  sole 
protection  against  low  and  degrading  connexions. 

A  just  sense  of  this  truth  will  give  high  encour- 
agement to  sculpture  and  painting — arts  which  may 
everywhere  be  looked  upon  as  the  best  tests,  as 
3* 


30  TJEGENCY   OF   THE   DISCUSSION 

well  as  the  best  records,  of  civilization.  Such  en- 
couragement they  need  in  truth  ;  for  the  monstrous 
monopoly  of  landed  property  and  the  accumulation 
of  wealth  in  few  hands  —  the  great  aim  of  our  po- 
litical economy — renders  art  poor,  indeed. 

I  am  aware  that  the  vulgar  among  artists  think 
otherwise  ;  from  the  few  rich  they  obtain  employ- 
ment j  and,  like  the  dog  with  his  master,  they  look 
not  beyond  the  hand  that  doles  out  their  pittance. 
But  the  rich  are  few ;  and  their  palaces  are  already 
filled.  A  diffusion  of  Avealth  alone  can  give  en- 
couragement to  art ;  nor  can  this  ever  be  while 
British  industry  is  crushed  under  the  weight  of 
enormous  taxation 

Having  removed  some  objections  to  art,  I  would 
add  a  few  words  to  artists  on  the  cause  of  the  fine 
arts  in  Greece,  from  a  paper  I,  two  years  ago,  con- 
tributed to  a  monthly  periodical.* 

That  the  mythology  of  Greece  had  an  influence 
over  its  arts,  is  generally  granted  ;  but  I  am  not 
aware,  that  it  has  either  been  shown  to  be  exclu- 
sively their  cause,  or  that  its  mode  of  operation  has 
ever  been  explained. 

Religion,  I  may  observe,  is  as  natural  to  man  as 
his  weakness  and  helplessness.  There  is  not  one 
of  its  systems,  not  even  the  vilest,  which  has  not 
afforded  him  consolation.  Of  its  higher  and  better 
systems,  some  are  equally  admirable  for  the  grand- 
eur and  the  beauty  of  the  truths  on  which  they  are 


•  "  The  Magazine  of  The  Fine  Arts,"  No.  VI,  for  October 
1833. 


AS   TO   DECENCY   AND    MOEALITY.  31 

founded,  the  simplicity  and  the  elegance  of  their 
ostensible  forms,  the  power  and  applicability  of 
their  symbols,  and  their  sympathy  with,  and  control 
over,  the  affections  and  the  imagination. 

These  high  characteristics  peculiarly  distinguish- 
ed the  religion  of  ancient  Greece. 

By  bigots,  we  are  indeed  told,  that,  though  Ho- 
mer is  our  model  in  epic,  Anacreon  in  lyric,  and 
j9Eschylus  in  dramatic  poetry — though  the  music 
of  Greece  doubtless  corresponded  to  its  poetry  in 
beauty,  pathos,  and  grandeur  —  though  the  mere 
wreck  of  her  sculpture  is  never  overlooked  in 
modern  war  and  negotiation  —  though  the  mere 
sight  of  her  ruined  Parthenon  is  more  than  a  re- 
ward for  the  fatigue  or  the  peril  of  a  journey  to  the 
Eternal  city  —  though  these  products  of  art  are  the 
test  of  the  highest  civilization  which  the  world  has 
witnessed  —  though  to  these  chiefly  Rome  owed  the 
little  civilization  of  which  she  was  capable,  and  we 
ourselves  the  circumstance  that,  at  this  hour,  we 
are  not,  like  our  ancestors,  covered  only  with  blue 
paint  or  the  skins  of  brutes  —  though  all  this  is  true 
as  to  the  arts  of  Greece,  we  are  told  that,  by  the 
strangest  exception,  the  religion  of  Greece  was  a 
base  superstition. 

That  religion,  however,  was  the  creator  of  these 
arts.  They  not  only  could  not  have  existed  with- 
out it,  but  they  probably  could  never  have  been 
called  into  existence  by  any  other  religion. 

The  personification  of  simple  Beauty,  Valor, 
Wisdom,  or  Omnipotence,  in  Venus,  Mars,  Miner- 
va, or  Jupiter,  respectively,  was  essential  to  the 


351  TTEGENCY   OF   THE    DISCTTSSION 

purity  and  the  power  of  expression  of  these  attri- 
butes in  the  worship  of  the  deities  to  whom  they 
respectively  belonged.  The  union  of  absolute 
beauty  and  valor  in  one  being,  is  not  more  impos- 
sible than  their  union  in  one  expression  of  homage 
and  admiration.  Delicacy,  elegance,  and  grace, 
were  as  characteristic  of  the  statue,  the  worship, 
and  the  temple,  of  the  goddess  of  beauty,  as  attri- 
butes nearly  opposite  to  these  were  of  the  statue, 
the  worship,  and  the  temple,  of  the  god  of  war. 
Thus,  were  the  fine  arts  in  Greece  created  by  the 
personification  of  simple  attributes  or  virtues  as 
objects  of  adoration ;  and  thus  is  excellence  in 
these  fine  arts  incapable  of  being  elicited  by  any 
system  of  religion  in  which  more  than  one  attribute 
is  ascribed  to  the  god. 

They  must  be  ignorant,  indeed,  of  the  wonderful 
people  of  whom  I  now  speak,  who  allege,  that  the 
Greeks  worshipped  the  mere  statue  of  the  god  and 
not  the  personified  virtue.  Even  the  history  of 
their  religion  proves  the  reverse.  It  was  the  tomb 
Avhich  became  the  altar,  and  retained  nearly  its 
form.  It  was  the  expression  of  love,  of  regret, 
and  of  veneration  for  departed  virtue,  which  be- 
came divine  adoration  ;  and,  as  individual  acts  and 
even  individual  names  were  ultimately  lost  in  one 
transcendent  attribute,  so  were  individual  forms  and 
features,  in  its  purified  and  ideal  representation. 
Here,  then,  instead  of  finding  the  worship  of  men 
or  of  their  representations,  we  discover  a  gradual 
advance  from  beings  to  attributes  —  from  mortal 
man  to  eternal  virtue  —  and  a  corresponding  and 


AS  TO  DECENCY  AND  MORALITY.        33 

suitable  advance  from  simple  veneration  to  divine 
adoration. 

When,  in  great  emergencies  of  the  state,  the 
sages  and  the  soldiers  of  Athens,  in  solemn  pro- 
cession repaired  to  the  temple  of  Minerva,  turned 
their  faces  toward  the  statue  of  the  goddess,  and 
prostrated  themselves  in  spirit  before  her  —  let  the 
beautiful  history  of  Grecian  science  tell,  whether 
in  the  statue  they  worshipped  the  mere  marble 
structure,  or,  in  its  forms  and  attributes,  beheld 
and  adored  a  personification  of  eternal  truth  and 
wisdom,  and  so  prepared  the  mind  for  deeds  which 
have  rendered  Greece  for  ever  illustrious.  Or, 
when  returning  from  a  Marathon,  or  a  Salamis,  the 
warriors  of  Athens,  followed  by  trains  of  maidens, 
and  matrons,  and  old  men,  returned  thanks  to  the 
god  of  victories  —  let  the  immortal  record  of  the 
long  series  of  glorious  achievements  which  suc- 
ceeded these,  tell,  whether  gratitude  to  their  heroes 
was  not  there  identified  with  homage  to  the  spirit 
or  the  divinity  that  inspired  them. 

True  it  is,'  that,  whenever  physical  or  moral  prin- 
ciples are  personified,  the  ignorant  may  be  led  to 
mistake  the  sign  for  that  which  is  signified ;  but 
one  of  the  most  admirable  characteristics  of  the 
Grecian  religion  is,  that,  with  little  effort,  every 
external  form  may  be  traced  to  the  spirit  which  it 
represents,  and  every  fable  may  be  resolved  into  a 
beautiful  illustration  of  physical  or  moral  truth. 
So  that  when  mystic  influences,  with  increasing 
knowledge,  ceased  to  sway  the  imagination,  all- 
powerful  truths  directed  the  reason. 


34  TTEGEKGr   OF   THE   DISCTTSSION,   ETC. 

The  natural  and  poetical  religion  of  Greece, 
therefore,  differed  from  false  and  vulgar  religions 
in  this,  that  it  was  calculated  to  hold  equal  empire 
over  the  minds  of  the  ignorant  and  the  wise ;  and 
the  initiations  of  Eleusis  were  apparently  the 
solemn  acts  by  which  the  youths  and  maidens  of 
Greece  passed  from  ignorance  and  blind  obedience 
to  knowledge  and  enlightened  zeal.  Thus,  in  that 
happy  region,  neither  were  the  priests  knaves,  nor 
the  people  their  dupes.* 

And  what  has  been  the  result  of  this  fundamental 
excellence  1  —  that  no  interpolated  fooleries  have 
been  able  to  destroy  it;  —  that  the  religion  of 
Greece  exists,  and  must  ever  exist,  the  religion  of 
nature,  genius,  and  taste ;  — and  that  neither  poetry 
nor  the  arts  can  have  being  without  it.  Schiller  has 
well  expressed  this  truth  in  the  following  lines :  — 

"  The  intelligible  forms  of  ancient  poets, 
The  fair  humanities  of  old  religion, 
The  power,  the  beauty,  and  the  majesty, 
That  had  their  haunts  in  dale,  or  piny  mountains, 
Or  forest;  by  slow  stream,  or  pebbly  spring. 
Or  chasms,  and  watery  depths  —  all  these  have  vanished  j 
They  live  no  longer  in  the  faith  of  reason ; 
But  still  the  heart  doth  need  a  language  ;  still 
Doth  the  old  instinct  bring  back  the  old  names ; 

•        *        And  even  at  this  day, 
'T  is  Jupiter  who  brings  whate'er  is  great, 
And  Venus  who  brings  everything  that 's  fair." 

•  I  am  not  here  called  upon  to  vindicate  the  errors  and  absurdi- 
ties which  poets  and  others  introduced  into  mytholo^. 
t  Appendix  A. 


CAUTIONS   AS   TO    YOITTH.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 


CAUTIONS   AS    TO    YOUTH. 


In  relation  to  early  sexual  association,  it  cannot 
be  doubted,  that,  when  the  instinct  of  reproduction 
begins  to  be  developed,  the  reserve  which  parents, 
relatives,  and  instructors,  adopt  on  this  subject,  is 
often  the  means  of  producing  injurious  effects ; 
because,  a  system  of  concealment  on  this  subject, 
as  observed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  is  quite  im- 
practicable. Discoveries  made  by  young  persons 
in  obscene  books,  the  unguarded  language  or 
shameless  conduct  of  grown-up  persons,  even  the 
wild  flights  of  an  imagination  which  is  then  easily 
excited,  will  have  the  most  fatal  consequences. 

Parents  or  instructers  ought,  therefore,  at  that 
critical  period,  to  give  rational  explanations  as  to 
the  nature  and  the  object  of  the  propensity,  the 
mechanism  of  reproduction  in  various  vegetable 
and  animal  beings,  and  the  fatal  consequences  to 
which  this  propensity  may  lead.  Such  procedure, 
if  well  conducted,  cannot  but  have  the  most  bene- 
ficial results  ;  because,  in  order  that  a  sane  person 
should  avoid  any  danger,  it  is  only  necessary  that 
he  should  see  it  distinctly. 


36  CATTTIONS   AS    TO    YOUTH. 

The  advantage,  it  has  been  observed,  which  the 
parent,  relative,  or  instructer,  derives,  from  himself 
in  forming  the  adolescent  in  the  new  faculty  which 
is  developed  in  him,  is  to  prevent  his  choosing, 
among  corrupt  servants  or  ignorant  youths  of  his 
own  age,  the  confidants  of  his  passion.  The  parent 
or  instructer,  moreover,  is  then  justly  entitled  to, 
and  has  gratefully  given  to  him,  the  entire  confi- 
dence of  the  adolescent;  and  he  is  thereby  enabled 
exactly  to  appreciate  the  degree  of  power  of  the 
propensity  which  he  desires  to  divert  or  to  guide. 

Such  being  the  case,  it  is  the  business  of  the 
parent  to  present  a  true  picture  of  the  effects  of 
too  early  association  of  this  kind,  on  the  stature, 
the  various  development  of  the  figure,  the  muscular 
power,  the  quality  of  the  voice,  the  health,  the  moral 
sense,  and  especially  on  the  acuteness,  the  power, 
the  dignity,  and  the  courage,  of  the  mind. 

In  doing  this,  it  would  be  as  stupid  as  injurious 
to  employ  the  slightest  degree  of  false  representa- 
tion, of  unjust  reprimand,  or  too  much  of  what  is 
called  moralizing,  which  is  often  only  the  con- 
temptible cant  of  a  being  who  cannot  reason, 
especially  when  it  takes  the  place  of  a  simple  and 
powerful  statement  of  facts.  All  of  these  would 
only  render  the  young  man  a  dissembler,  and  would 
compel  him  to  choose  another  confidant. 

Among  other  considerations,  varying  according 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  those  stated  be- 
low may  with  advantage  be  presented. 

At  a  certain  period  in  the  life  both  of  plants  and 
animals,  varying  according  to  their  kind  and  the 


CATTTIONS   AS    TO    YOUTH.  37 

climate  they  live  in,  they  are  fit  for  and  disposed 
to  the  reproduction  of  their  species.  The  sexes  in 
both  are  then  attracted  to  each  other.  In  plants, 
the  powder  termed  pollen,  in  animals  a  peculiar 
liquid  which,  deriving  its  name  by  analogy  from 
the  seeds  of  plants,  is  termed  seminal,  is  secreted 
by  the  male  plant  or  animal,  and,  by  organs  differ- 
ently formed  in  each  kind,  is  cast  upon  ova  or  eggs 
either  contained  within,  or  deposited  by,  the  female. 
The  details  of  this  process  are  among  the  most 
beautiful  and  interesting  of  the  living  economy. 
In  mankind,  the  attainment  of  this  period  is  termed 
puberty. 

It  is  with  this  critical  period,  and  his  conduct 
during  it,  that  all  that  the  youth  deems  most  valu- 
able, all  that  can  decide  his  fortunes  and  his  happi- 
ness in  the  world,  his  stature,  figure,  strength,  voice, 
health,  and  mental  powers,  are  most  intimately 
connected. 

In  regard  to  stature,  the  body  appears  to  com- 
plete its  increase  in  height  chiefly  at  the  age  of 
puberty,  and  during  the  first  years  which  succeed 
that  age.  To  be  assured  of  the  powerful  influence 
of  his  own  conduct,  at  this  period,  upon  his  stature, 
the  youth  has  only  to  compare  the  tall  men  and 
women  of  the  country  as  in  Yorkshire,  Lancashire, 
Westmoreland,  Cumberland,  and  the  Scottish  bor- 
ders, where  they  have  not  been  overworked,  with 
the  stunted  and  dwarfed  creatures  of  the  metropolis, 
where  a  stranger,  when  he  first  enters  it,  is  apt  to 
think  he  sees  so  many  ugly  boys  and  girls,  where- 
as, they  are  full-grown  London  men  and  women. 
4 


38  CAUTIONS  AS  TO  Y0T7TH. 

Half  the  population  of  the  metropolis  is  affected  in 
this  way ;  and  it  is  the  obvious  consequence  of  the 
acceleration  of  puberty  by  confinement,  stimulating 
food,  indecent  plays,  and  sexual  association. 

In  regard  to  the  perfect  development  and  beauty 
of  the  figure,  the  youth  is  probably  aware  that  the 
most  beautiful  races  of  horses  and  dogs  rapidly 
deteriorate,  if  men  do  not  carefully  maintain  them 
by  continence  as  well  as  by  crossing.  The  too 
early  employment,  the  depraved  abuses,  the  injury, 
or  the  removal,  of  the  sexual  organs,  are  all  of 
them  causes  still  more  certain  of  deformity.  The 
latter  of  these  causes  acts,  of  course,  most  obvi- 
ously ;  and  it  is  evidenced  in  the  almost  universal 
malformation  of  eunuchs,  geldings,  &c. 

That,  in  regard  to  bodily  strength,  sexual  conti- 
nence adds  energy  to  the  muscular  fibre,  is  clearly 
seen  by  observing  the  most  ardent  quadrupeds  pre- 
vious to  the  time  of  the  union  of  their  sexes.  But, 
this  being  past,  precisely  in  the  same  proportion 
does  the  act  of  reproduction  debilitate  and  break 
down  tha  strongest  animal.  Many  male  animals 
even  fall  almost  exhausted  by  a  single  act  of  union 
with  the  opposite  sex. 

Every  classical  student  has  read  the  beautiful 
allegory  of  Hercules,  who,  having  spun  at  the  knees 
of  Omphale  (o/i^aXds  the  navel,  here  put  for  the 
most  essential  part  of  the  female  generative  organ), 
thereby  lost  his  strength :  this  beautifully  expresses 
the  abasement  of  power  amid  the  indulgences  of 
love.  Euripides  also  depicts  the  terrible  Achilles 
as  timid  before  women,  and  respectful  with  Cly- 


CAUTIONS  AS  TO  YOUTH.  ^ 

temnestra  and  Iphigenia.  Hence,  when  a  foolish 
lord  reproached  the  poet  Dryden  with  having  given 
too  much  timidity  toward  women  to  a  personage  in 
one  of  his  tragedies,  and  added  that  he  knew  better 
how  to  employ  his  time  with  the  ladies,  the  poet 
answered :  "  You  now  acknowledge  that  you  are 
no  hero,  which  I  intended  that  personage  to  be." 

As  to  voice,  which  depends  on  the  muscles  of 
respiration,  and  more  immediately  on  those  of  the 
mouth  and  throat,  as  general  strength  does  on  the 
muscles  of  the  whole  body,  both  merely  affording 
expressions  of  the  mind,  the  influence  of  the  sexual 
union  upon  it  is  prodigious.  How  entirely  it  is 
altered  by  the  removal  of  the  testes  in  eunuchs  is 
known  to  every  one  :  in  corresponding  proportion, 
is  it  altered  by  every  act  of  the  generative  organs, 
but  especially  by  sexual  indulgence  during  puberty. 
The  horrible  voice  of  early  libertines  and  prosti- 
tutes presents  an  alarming  example  of  this.  To 
those  who  value  voice  in  conversation,  in  the  de- 
lightful and  humanizing  exercise  of  music,  or  in 
the  grander  efforts  of  public  speaking,  nothing 
more  need  be  said. 

As  to  health,  the  less  we  are  prodigal  of  life,  the 
longer  we  preserve  it.  Every  one  capable  of  ob- 
serving may  see  that  the  stag  loses  his  horns  and 
his  hair  after  procreation ;  that  birds  fall  into 
moulting  and  sadness  ;  and  that  male  insects  even 
perish  after  this  effort,  as  if  they  yielded  their  in- 
dividual life  to  their  progeny.  Indeed,  everything 
perishes  so  much  the  more  readily,  as  it  has  thus 


40  CAUTIONS  AS  TO  YOUTH. 

transmitted  life  to  its  descendants,  or  has  cast  it 
away  in  vain  pleasures. 

In  mankind,  as  in  other  animals,  to  procreate  is 
in  effect  to  die  to  one's  self,  and  to  leave  one's 
life  to  posterity  ;  especially,  if  this  takes  place  in 
early  life.  It  is  then  that  man  becomes  bald  and 
bent ;  and  that  the  charms  of  woman  fade.  Even 
in  advanced  age,  epicures  are  so  well  aware  of 
this,  that  they  are  known  to  abstain  from  amorous 
excess,  as  the  acknowledged  cause  of  premature 
death. 

In  relation  to  mind  —  as  the  generative  power  is 
the  source  of  several  characteristics  of  genius,  the 
exhaustion  of  that  power  at  an  early  age  must  take 
away  these  characteristics.  Genius  as  surely  lan- 
guishes and  is  extinguished  amid  early  sexual  in- 
dulgence, as  do  the  faculties  of  voice  and  locomo- 
tion, which  are  merely  its  signs  and  expressions. 

It  is  thus  with  all  our  faculties,  locomotive,  vital, 
mental,  at  an  early  age.  They  are  strengthened 
by  all  that  they  do  not  dissipate  ;  and  that  which 
their  organs  too  abundantly  dispense  is  not  only 
taken  immediately  from  their  own  power,  and  me- 
diately from  that  of  the  other  organs,  but  it  ensures 
the  permanent  debility  of  the  whole. 

It  is  true  that  the  strong  passions  which  are 
modified  or  characterized  by  the  sexual  impulse, 
excite  the  imagination  and  impel  the  mind  to  sub- 
lime exertions ;  but  the  sole  means  of  either  ob- 
taining or  preserving  such  impulsion  is,  to  shun  the 
indulgence  of  pleasure  in  early  life,  and  its  waste 
at  later  periods. 


CAUTIONS  AS  TO  VOUTH.  4l 

It  has  accordingly  been  observed,  that  the  pas- 
sion of  love  appears  to  be  most  excessive  in  ani- 
mals which  least  excel  in  mental  faculties.  Thus 
the  beasts  which  are  the  most  lascivious,  the  ass, 
the  boar,  &c.,  are  also  the  most  stupid ;  and  idiots 
and  cretins  display  a  sensuality  which  brutifies 
them  still  more.  Hence,  the  Homeric  fable  that 
Circe  transformed  men  into  beasts. 

It  would  also  appear  that  the  most  stupid  ani- 
mals, swine,  rabbits,  &;c.,  in  general  produce  the 
greatest  number  of  young ;  while  men  of  genius 
have  engendered  the  fewest.  It  is  remarked  that 
none  of  the  greatest  men  of  antiquity  were  much 
given  to  sexual  pleasure. 

It  is,  then,  of  the  greatest  importance  to  young 
men  who  are  ambitious  of  excellence,  to  mark  well 
this  truth,  that  the  most  powerful  and  distinguished 
in  mental  faculties,  other  things  being  equal,  will 
be  he  who  wastes  them  least  in  early  life  by  sexual 
indulgence  —  who  most  economizes  the  vital  stim- 
ulant, in  order  to  excite  the  mental  powers  on 
great  occasions.  By  such  means  may  a  man  sure- 
ly surpass  others,  if  he  have  received  from  his 
parents  proportional  mental  energy. 

Beside  the  means  already  indicated,  there  is  one 
proposed  by  an  able  writer,  as  serving  to  divert  the 
instinct  of  propagation  when  too  early  and  exces- 
sive, and  consequently  dangerous :  that  is,  the  sen- 
timent of  love.  To  employ  this  means,  he  observes, 
"  it  is  necessary  to  search  early,  after  knowing  the 
character  of  the  adolescent  whom  it  is  wished  to 
direct,  for  a  young  woman  whose  beauty  and  good 
4* 


42  CAUTIONS  AS  TO  YOUTH. 

qualities  may  inspire  him  with  attachment.  This 
means  will  serve,  more  than  can  easily  be  imagined, 
to  preserve  the  adolescent  both  from  the  grosser 
attractions  of  libertinism  and  the  disease  it  entails, 
and  from  the  more  dangerous  snares  of  coquetry.  It 
is,"  he  adds,  "a  virtuous  young  woman  and  a  solid 
attachment  that  are  here  spoken  of."  —  At  some 
future  period  I  shall  probably  show  how  wise  this 
recommendation  is,  as  well  as  the  necessity  and 
the  advantages  of  early  marriages,  under  favorable 
circumstances. 

Having  now  sho\vn  the  evils  of  early  sexual 
association,  I  may  briefly  notice  those  of  later  lib- 
ertinism. 

If,  even  in  more  advanced  life,  and  when  the 
constitution  is  stronger,  the  instinct  of  propaga- 
tion be  not  restrained  within  just  limits,  it  degen- 
erates into  inordinate  lewdness  or  real  mania : 
"  Repperit  obscsenas  veneres  vitiosa  libido."  By 
such  depravation,  nobleness  of  character  is  utterly 
destroyed. 

This  scarcely  evitable  consequence  of  great  for- 
tune and  of  the  facility  of  indulgence,  it  has  been 
justly  observed,  will  ever  be  the  ruin  of  the  rich, 
and  a  mode  of  enervating  the  most  vigorous  branch- 
es of  the  most  powerful  house. 

The  libertine,  then,  owing  to  exhaustion,  by  sex- 
ual indulgence,  is  characterized  by  physical  and 
moral  impotence,  or  has  a  brain  as  incapable  of 
thinking,  as  his  muscles  are  of  acting. 

As  libertines  are  enfeebled  by  indulgence,  it  fol- 
lows that  they  are  proportionally  distinguished  by 


CAUTIONS    AS    TO    YOUTH.  43 

fear  and  cowardice.  Nothing,  indeed,  destroys 
courage  more  than  sexual  abuses. 

But,  from  cowardice,  spring  cunning,  duplicity, 
lying,  and  perfidy.  These  common  results  of  cow- 
ardice are  uniformly  found  in  eunuchs,  slaves, 
courtiers,  and  sycophants ;  while  boldness,  frank- 
ness, and  generosity,  belong  to  virtuous,  free,  and 
magnanimous  men. 

Again,  cowardice,  artifice,  falsehood,  and  perfidy, 
are  the  usual  elements  of  cruelty.  Men  feel  more 
wounded  in  self-love,  as  they  are  conscious  of  be- 
ing more  contemptible  ;  and  they  avenge  them- 
selves with  more  malignity  upon  their  enemy,  as 
they  find  themselves  more  weak  and  worthless,  and 
as  they  consequently  dread  him  more. 

These  are  the  causes  of  that  malignant  revenge 
which  princes  have  often  shown,  as,  in  ancient 
times,  Tiberius,  Caligula,  Nero,  Domitian,  Helio- 
gabalus,  &c.  In  later  times,  Catharine  de  Medici 
solicited  the  massacre  of  the  Protestants  ;  Paul, 
Constantine,  and  Nicholas,  of  Russia,  were  happy 
only  when  they  wallowed  in  blood  j  Charles  X., 
equally  effeminate  and  bigoted,  perpetrated  the 
massacre  of  the  Parisians  ;  Don  Miguel  covered 
Portugal  with  his  assassinations  ;  and  nearly  all 
the  sovereigns  and  sycophants  in  Europe  upheld  or 
palliated  his  atrocities.* 

The  strong  and  brave  man,  on  the  contrary, 
scarcely  feels  hurt,  and  scorns  revenge. 

It  is  not  cruelty  only  with  which  we  may  re- 

•  George  IV.,  though  the  "first  gentleman"  in  England,  was 
guilty  of  cheating  at  a  horserace. — Ed. 


44  CAUTIONS    AS    TO   YOUTH. 

preach  these  effeminate  individuals  :  it  is  every  vice 
which  springs  from  baseness  of  character. 

Libertinism,  moreover,  is  not  hurtful  only  to  the 
health  and  welfare  of  these  individuals :  it  is  so 
also  to  those  of  their  posterity. 

Finally,  the  results  of  libertinism  have  constantly 
marked,  not  merely  the  ruin  of  families,  but  the 
degeneration  of  races,  and  the  decay  of  empires. 
The  delights  of  Capua  caused  the  ruin  of  Hannibal ; 
and  the  Roman,  once  so  proud  before  kings,  finally 
transformed  himself  into  the  wretched  slave  of 
monsters  degraded  far  below  the  rank  of  humanity. 

So  little,  however,  do  men  look  to  remote  con- 
sequences that  perhaps  the  most  frightful  punish- 
ments of  libertinism  are  the  diseases  which  it  in- 
flicts. Man  may,  then,  be  said  to  meet  only  death 
on  the  path  of  life. 

The  dangers  of  promiscuous  love  are,  indeed,  far 
beyond  what  young  men  will  easily  believe.  I  do 
not  exaggerate  when  I  state,  that,  out  of  every 
three  women,  and  those  the  least  common  of  the 
promiscuous,  two  at  least  are  certainly  in  a  state  of 
disease  capable  of  the  most  destructive  infection. 
A  surgeon  in  the  habit  of  receiving  foul  patients  at 
a  public  hospital  tells  me,  I  might  safely  say  that 
nine  out  of  every  ten  are  in  this  state.* 

While  writing  this,  Sir  Anthony  Carlisle  observes 
to  me,  that,  "the  special  disease  which  appears  to 
be  a  punishment  for  sexual  profligacy,  is  not  only 
malignant,  painful,  and  hideous,  in  every  stage  of 

•  The  above  remark  is  true  of  the  same  class  of  females  in  this 
country. — £d. 


II 


CAUTIONS    AS    TO   YOUTH.  45 

it,  but  the  only  remedy  known  for  its  cure,  mercu- 
ry, is  a  poison  which  generally  leaves  its  own  evils 
for  the  venom  which  it  destroys.  This  frightful 
disease  has  no  natural  termination  but  in  a  disgust- 
ing disgraceful  death,  after  disfiguring  the  counte- 
nance, by  causing  blindness,  loss  of  the  nose,  the 
palate  and  teeth,  and  by  the  spoliation  of  the  sin- 
ning organs.  The  miserables,  who  thus  perish  in 
public  hospitals,  are  so  offensive  to  the  more  re- 
spectable patients,  that  they  are  confined  to  ap- 
pointed rooms,  termed  foul  wards,  where  they 
linger  and  die  in  the  bloom  of  life,  either  of  the 
penalty  inflicted  by  their  profligacy,  of  the  poison 
administered  to  them,  or  of  incurable  consequent 
diseases,  such  as  consumption,  palsy,  or  madness." 
Hence,  it  has  been  observed,  that,  if  we  have  to 
deal  with  a  young  man  incapable  of  guidance  by 
the  nobler  motives,  of  feeling  contempt  for  vice, 
and  horror  for  debauchery,  there  yet  remain  means 
to  be  employed.  Let  him  be  conducted  to  the  hos- 
pital, where  he  will  find  collected  the  poor  victims 
of  debauchery — the  unhappy  women  whom,  even 
the  day  before,  he  may  have  seen  in  the  streets, 
with  faces  dressed  in  smiles,  amid  the  torments, 
the  corrosion,  and  the  contagion  of  disease.  This 
may  leave  an  impression  sufficiently  deep.  But  let 
him  also  know  that  these  unhappy  creatures  are  a 
thousand  times  more  pitiable  than  the  libertine  who 
destroys  them,  and  who  forfeits  the  only  good  we 
cannot  refuse  to  other  wretches,  compassion  for 
the  misery  he  endures.* 

•  Appendix  B. 


46  NATUEE  OF   BEAUTY. 


CHAPTER    rV. 

NATURE  OF  BEAUTY. 

In  this  chapter,  my  aim  is  to  show  that  there  is 
more  than  one  kind  of  beauty,  and  that  much  con- 
fusion has  arisen  among  Avriters,  from  not  clearly 
distinguishing  the  characteristics  of  these  kinds. 

An  essential  condition,  then,  of  all  excitement 
and  action  in  animal  bodies,  is  a  greater  or  less  de- 
gree of  novelty  in  the  objects  impressing  them  — 
even  if  this  novelty  should  arise  only  from  a  previ- 
ous cessation  of  excitement. 

Now,  objects  of  greater  or  less  novelty  are  the 
causes  of  excitement,  pleasurable  or  painful,  by 
means  of  their  various  relations. 

The  lowest  degree  of  bodily  pleasure  (though, 
owing  to  its  constancy,  immense  in  its  total 
amount)  is  that  which  arises,  during  health,  from 
those  relations  of  bodies  and  that  excitement  which 
cause  the  mere  local  exercise  of  the  organs — a 
source  of  pleasure  which  is  seldom  the  object  of 
our  voluntary  attention,  but  which  seems  to  me  to 
be  the  chief  cause  of  attachment  to  life  amid  its 
more  definite  and  conspicuous  evils. 

All  higher  mental  emotions  consist  of  pleasure 
or  pain  superadded  to  more  or  less  definite  ideas. 


NATUEE    OF    BEATTTT.  47 

Pleasurable  emotions  arise  from  the  agreeable  re- 
lations of  things ;  painful  emotions,  from  the  dis- 
agreeable ones. 

The  term  by  which  we  express  the  influence 
which  objects,  by  means  of  their  relations,  possess 
of  exciting  emotions  of  pleasure  in  the  mind,  is 

BEAUTY. 

Beauty,  when  founded  on  the  relations  of  objects, 
or  of  the  parts  of  objects,  to  each  other,  forms  a 
first  class,  and  may  be  termed  intrinsic  beauty. 

When  beauty  is  farther  considered  in  relation  to- 
ourselves,  it  forms  a  second  class,  and  may  be 
termed  extrinsic  beauty. 

We  are  next  led  (hitherto  this  has  apparently 
been  done  without  analyzing  or  defining  the  opera- 
tion) to  a  division  of  the  latter  into  two  genera ; 
namely,  the  minor  beauty,  of  which  prettiness,  deli- 
cacy, &c.,  are  modifications,  and  that  which  is  call- 
ed grandeur  or  sublimity. 

The  characters  of  the  minor  beauty  or  pretti- 
ness, with  relation  to  ourselves,  are  smallness,  sub- 
ordination, and  subjection.  Hence  female  beauty, 
in  relation  to  the  male. 

The  characters  of  grandeur  or  sublimity,  with 
relation  to  ourselves,  are  greatness,  superordina- 
tion,  and  power.  Hence  male  beauty,  in  relation 
to  the  female. 

By  the  preceding  brief  train  of  analysis  and 
definition,  is,  I  believe,  answered  the  question  — 
"  whether  the  emotion  of  grandeur  make  a  branch 
of  the  emotion  of  beauty,  or  be  entirely  distinct 
from  it." 


4-8  NATURE    OF    BEAUTY. 

Having,  by  this  concise  statement  of  my  own 
views  on  these  subjects,  made  the  reader  acquaint- 
ed with  some  of  the  materials  of  future  consider- 
ation here  employed,  I  may  now  examine  the  opin- 
ions of  some  philosophers,  in  order  to  see  how  far 
they  accord  with  these  first  principles,  and  what 
answer  can  be  given  to  them  where  they  diflJer. 

That  beauty,  generally  considered,  has  nothing  to 
do  with  particular  size,  is  very  well  shown  by  Payne 
Knight,  who,  though  he  argues  incorrectly  about 
it  in  many  other  respects,  here  truly  says  :  "  All 
degrees  of  magnitude  contribute  to  beauty  in  pro- 
portion as  they  show  objects  to  be  perfect  in  their 
kind.  The  dimensions  of  a  beautiful  horse  are 
very  different  from  those  of  a  beautiful  lapdog  ; 
and  those  of  a  beautiful  oak  from  those  of  a  beau- 
tiful myrtle  ;  because,  nature  has  formed  these  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  animals  and  vegetables  upon  differ- 
ent scales. 

"  The  notion  of  objects  being  rendered  beautiful 
by  being  gradually  diminished,  or  tapered,  is  equally 
unfounded  ;  for  the  same  object,  which  is  small  by 
degrees,  and  beautifully  less,  when  seen  in  one  di- 
rection, is  large  by  degrees,  and  beautifully  bigger, 
when  seen  in  another.  The  stems  of  trees  are  ta- 
pered upward  j  and  the  columns  of  Grecian  archi- 
tecture, having  been  taken  from  them,  and  therefore 
retaining  a  degree  of  analogy  with  them,  were  ta- 
pered upward  too  :  but  the  legs  of  animals  are  ta- 
pered downward,  and  the  inverted  obelisks,  upon 
which  busts  were  placed,  having  a  similar  analogy 
to  them,  were  tapered  downward  also  j  while  pilas- 


NATURE    OF   BEAITTY.  49 

ters,  which  had  no  analogy  with  either,  but  were 
mere  square  posts  terminating  a  wall,  never  tapered 
at  all." 

Speaking  of  beauty  generally,  and  without  seeing 
the  distinctions  I  have  made  above,  Burke,  on  the 
contrary,  states  the  first  quality  of  beauty  to  be 
comparative  smallness,  and  says :  "  In  ordinary 
conversation,  it  is  usual  to  add  the  endearing  name 
of  little  to  everything  we  love  ;"  and  "  in  most  lan- 
guages, the  objects  of  love  are  spoken  of  under 
diminutive  epithets." 

This  is  evidently  true  only  of  the  objects  of  mi- 
nor or  subordinate  beauty^  which  Burke  confusedly 
thought  the  only  kind  of  it,  though  he  elsewhere 
grants,  that  beauty  may  be  connected  with  sublim- 
ity !  It  shows,  however,  that  relative  littleness  is 
essential  to  that  first  kind  of  beauty. 

With  greater  knowledge  of  facts  than  Burke 
possessed,  and  with  as  feeble  reasoning  powers,  but 
with  less  taste,  and  with  a  perverse  whimsicality 
which  was  all  his  own,  Payne  Knight  similarly, 
making  no  distinction  in  beauty,  considered  small- 
ness as  an  accidental  association,  failed  to  see  that 
it  characterized  a  kind  of  beauty,  and  argued,  that 
"  if  we  join  the  diminutive  to  a  term  which  pre- 
cludes all  such  affection,  or  does  not  even,  in  some 
degree,  express  it,  it  immediately  converts  it  into  a 
term  of  contempt  and  reproach :  thus,  a  bantling, 
a  fondling,  a  darling,  &c.,  are  terms  of  endearment; 
but  a  witling,  a  changeling,  a  lordling,  &c.,  are  in- 
variably terms  of  scorn  :  so  in  French,  '  mon  petit 
enfant^  is  an  expression  of  endearment ;  but  '  mon 
5 


50  KATtJRE    OF    BEAUTY. 

petit  monsieur,^  is  an  expression  of  the  most  pointecf 
reproach  and  contempt." 

Now,  thi-s  chatter  of  grammatical  termination  and 
French  phrase,  though  meant  to  look  vastly  clever, 
is  merely  a  blunder.  There  is  no  analogy  in  the 
cases  compared  :  a  "  darling"  or  little  dear  unites 
dear^  an  expression  of  love,  with  little,  implying 
that  dependance  which  enhances  love  ;  while  "wit- 
ling" or  little  wit  unites  wit,  an  expression  of  tal- 
ent, with  little,  meaning  the  small  quantity  or  ab- 
sence of  the  talent  alluded  to  ;  and  it  is  because 
the  latter  term  means,  not  physical  littleness,  which 
well  associates  with  love,  but  moral  littleness  and 
mental  degradation,  that  it  becomes  a  term  of  con- 
tempt. 

Even  from  the  little  already  said,  it  seems  evident 
that  much  of  the  confusion  on  this  subject  has  arisen 
from  not  distinguishing  the  two  genera  of  beauty, 
and  not  seeing  that  "  the  emotion  of  grandeur"  is 
merely  "  a  branch  of  the  emotion  of  beauty." 

The  other  genus  of  beauty,  grand  or  sublime 
beauty,  is  well  described  by  the  names  given  to  it, 
grandeur  or  sublimity.  Some  have  considered  sub- 
limity as  expressing  grandeur  in  the  highest  degree : 
it  would  perhaps  be  as  well  to  express  the  cause  of 
the  emotion  by  grandeur,  and  the  emotion  itself  by 
sublimity. 

Nothing  is  sublime  that  is  not  vast  or  powerful, 
or  that  does  not  make  him  who  feels  it  sensible  of 
its  physical  or  moral  superiority. 

The  simplest  cause  of  sublimity  is  presented  by 
all  objects  of  vast  magnitude  or  extent — a  seenv 


NATURE  O?  BEAUTY.  5(1 

ihgly  boundless  plain,  the  sky,  the  ocean,  &c. ;  and 
the  particular  direction  of  the  magnitude  or  extent 
always  correspondingly  modifies  the  emotion  — 
height  giving  more  especially  the  idea  of  power, 
breadth  of  resistance,  depth  of  danger,  &c.  Of  the 
objects  mentioned  above,  the  ocean  is  the  most 
sublime,  because,  to  vastness  in  length  and  breadth, 
it  adds  depth,  and  a  force  perpetually  active. 

Now,  that  these  objects,  though  sublime,  are 
beautiful,  is  very  evident ;  and  it  is  therefore  also 
evident  how  much  Burke  erred  in  asserting  com- 
parative smallness  to  be  the  first  character  of  beauty 
generally  considered.  This  and  similar  errors,  as 
already  said,  have  greatly  obscured  this  subject,  and 
have  led  Burke  and  others  so  to  modify  and  qualify 
their  doctrines,  as  to  take  from  them  all  precision 
and  certainty. 

Hence,  in  one  place,  Burke  says :  "  As,  in  the 
■animal  world,  and  in  a  good  measure  in  the  vege- 
table world  likewise,  the  qualities  that  constitute 
beauty  may  possibly  be  united  to  things  of  greater 
dimensions  [that  is,  littleness  may  be  united  with 
bigness  !]  ;  when  they  are  so  united  they  constitute 
a  species  something  different  both  from  the  sublime 
and  beautiful^  which  I  have  before  called.  Fine." 

So  also  he  says  :  "  Ugliness  I  imagine  likewise  to 
be  consistent  enough  with  an  idea  of  the  sublime. 
But  I  would  by  no  means  insinuate  that  ugliness  of 
itself  is  a  sublime  idea,  unless  united  with  such 
qualities  as  excite  a  strong  terror." 

Here,  he  confounds  sublimity  with  terror,  as  do 
Blair  and  other  writers,  when  they  say  that  "  exact 


52  NATURE    OF    BEAUTY. 

proportion  of  parts,  though  it  enters  often  into  the 
beautiful,  is  much  disregarded  in  the  sublime."  It 
is  a  fact,  that  exactly  in  proportion  as  ugliness  is 
substituted  for  beauty  in  vast  objects,  is  sublimity 
taken  away,  until  at  last  it  is  utterly  lost  in  the 
terrible. 

Even  Blair  shows  that  sublimity  may  exist  with- 
out terror  or  pain.  "  The  proper  sensation  of  sub- 
limity appears,"  he  observes,  "  to  be  distinguishable 
from  the  sensation  of  either  of  these,  and,  on  sev- 
eral occasions,  to  be  entirely  separated  from  them. 
In  many  grand  objects,  there  is  no  coincidence  with 
terror  at  all ;  as  in  the  magnificent  prospect  of  wide- 
extended  plains,  and  of  the  starry  firmament ;  or  in 
the  moral  dispositions  and  sentiments,  which  we 
view  with  high  admiration  ;  and  in  many  painful  and 
terrible  objects  also,  it  is  clear,  there  is  no  sort  of 
grandeur.  The  amputation  of  a  limb,  or  the  bite 
of  a  snake,  is  exceedingly  terrible,  but  is  destitute 
of  all  claim  whatever  to  sublimity." 

Payne  Knight  shows  that  terror  is  even  opposed 
to  sublimity :  "  All  the  great  and  terrible  convul- 
sions of  nature ;  such  as  storms,  tempests,  hurri- 
canes, earthquakes,  volcanoes,  &c.,  excite  sublime 
ideas,  and  impress  sublime  sentiments  by  the  pro- 
digious exertions  of  energy  and  power  which  they 
seem  to  display :  for  though  these  objects  are,  in 
their  nature,  terrible,  and  generally  known  to  be  so, 
it  is  not  this  attribute  of  terror  that  contributes,  in 
the  smallest  degree  to  render  them  sublime.  .  .  . 
Timid  women  fly  to  a  cellar,  or  a  darkened  room, 
to  avoid  the  sublime  eflects  of  a  thunder-storm  j 


NATURE    0?    BEAUTY.  53 

because  to  them  they  are  not  sublime,  but  terrible. 
To  those  only  are  they  sublime,  '  qui  formidine 
nulla  imbuti  speciant,^  who  behold  them  without  any 
fear  at  all ;  and  to  whom,  therefore,  they  are  in  np 
degree  terrible."  cj'r;-? 

This  farther  confirms  the  distinction  which  I 
made  of  beauty  into  minor  or  subordinate,  and 
grand  or  sublime  beauty,  although  Knight  adopted 
other  principles,  if  principles  they  may  be  called, 
and  neglected  such  distinction. 

There  is  but  one  other  error  on  this  subject 
which  I  need  to  notice.  Burke  says :  *'  To  make 
anything  very  terrible,  obscurity  seems  in  general 
to  be  necessary.  When  we  know  the  full  extent 
of  any  danger,  when  we  can  accustom  our  eyes 
to  it,  a  great  deal  of  the  apprehension  vanishes. 
Every  one  will  be  sensible  of  this,  who  considers 
how  greatly  night  adds  to  our  dread,  in  all  cases 
of  danger.  .  .  Those  despotic  governments  which 
are  founded  on  the  passions  of  men,  and  principally 
upon  the  passion  of  fear,  keep  their  chief  as  much 
as  may  be  from  the  public  eye.  The  policy  has 
been  the  same  in  many  cases  of  religion.  Almost 
all  the  heathen  temples  were  dark." 

From  what  has  already  been  said,  it  is  evident 
that  all  this  contributes  to  terror,  not  to  sublimity; 
and  that  the  same  error  is  made  by  Blair  when 
he  says,  "  As  obscurity,  so  disorder,  too,  is  very 
compatible  with  grandeur,  nay,  frequently  height- 
ens it." 

To  expose  the  weakness  and  to  destroy  the  au- 
Ithority  of  some  writers  on  this  subject,  can  only 
5* 


M  NATTJEE  OF  BEAUTY. 

set  the  mind  free  for  the  investigation  of  truth.  I 
may,  therefore,  conclude  this  chapter  by  quoting 
the  shrewd  remarks  of  Knight  on  some  of  the 
principles  of  Bnrke.  I  shall  afterward  be  forced 
critically  to  examine  the  notions  of  Knight  in  their 
turn. 

Burke  states  that  the  highest  degree  of  sublime 
sensation  is  astonishment ;  and  the  subordinate 
degrees,  awe,  reverence,  and  respect ;  all  which 
he  considers  as  modes  of  terror.  And  Knight 
observes  that  this  graduated  scale  of  the  sublime, 
from  respect  to  astonishment,  cannot,  perhaps  be 
better  illustrated  than  by  applying  it  to  his  own 
character. 

"  He  was  certainly,"  says  Knight,  "  a  very  re- 
spectable man,  and  reverenced  by  all  who  knew 
him  intimately.  At  one  period  of  his  life,  too, 
when  he  became  the  disinterested  patron  of  remote 
and  injured  nations,  who  had  none  to  help  them, 
his  character  was  truly  sublime ;  but,  unless  upon 
those  whom  he  so  ably  and  eloquently  arraigned,  I 
do  not  believe  that  it  impressed  any  awe.  .  .  . 
If,  during  this  period,  he  had  suddenly  appeared 
among  the  managers  in  Westminster  Hall  without 
his  wig  and  coat,  or  had  walked  up  St.  James's 
street  without  his  breeches,  it  would  have  occa- 
sioned great  and  universal  astonishment ;  and  if 
he  had,  at  the  same  time,  carried  a  loaded  blunder- 
buss in  his  hands,  the  astonishment  would  have 
been  mixed  with  no  small  portion  of  terror  :  but  I 
do  not  believe  that  the  united  effects  of  these  two 
powerful  passions  would  have  produced  any  senti- 


NATITEE  OF  BEAUTY.  55 

ment  or  sensation  approaching  to  sublime,  even  in 
the  breasts  of  those  who  had  the  strongest  sense 
of  self-preservation  and  the  quickest  sensibility  of 
danger." 

Thus,  I  believe,  it  now  appears  that  novelty*  is 
the  exciting  cause  of  pleasurable  emotion,  and  of 
the  consequent  perception  of  beauty  in  the  rela- 
tions of  things,  and  that  the  two  genera  of  beauty 
—  the  minor  or  subordinate  beauty,  and  grandeur 
or  sublimity  —  have  distinct  characteristics,  the 
confounding  of  which  by  writers  has  led  to  the 
obscurity  of  this  part  of  the  subject. 

•  Appendix  C. 


5B  STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEAUTY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEAUTY. 

The  expression,  "  standard  of  taste,"  is  used  to 
signify  the  basis  or  foundation  of  our  judgments 
respecting  beauty  and  deformity,  and  their  conse- 
quent certainty. 

Setting  aside  such  objection  as  might  be  raised 
to  a  standard  of  taste  on  the  doctrine  of  Berkeley 
(which  I  refuted  in  1809,  and  which  I  need  not 
enter  into  here),  this  matter  was  long  ago  settled 
by  David  Hume  ;  and  I  have  nothing  new  to  say 
upon  the  subject  (there  is  probably  enough  of  nov- 
elty in  other  chapters,  whatever  its  worth  may  be), 
except  that  Burke  appears  to  have  borrowed  all  he 
knew  about  it  from  that  incomparably  more  pro- 
found philosopher. 

As  I  ought  not,  however,  to  omit  here  a  view 
of  the  subject,  I  cannot  do  better  than  transcribe 
the  words  of  Hume  and  Burke  respectively.  While 
this  will  put  the  reader  in  possession  of  all  that  I 
think  necessary  upon  this  subject,  it  will  farther 
tend  to  show  in  what  Burke's  ability  as  a  philoso- 
pher consisted. 

I  must  first,  however,  observe  that  the  word 
*'  taste,"  as  expressing  our  judgment  of  beauty,  is 


STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEADTr.  57 

a  metaphor  whimsically  borrowed  from  the  lowest 
of  our  senses,  and  is  applied  to  our  exercise  of  that 
faculty,  as  regards  both  natural  objects,  and  the 
fine  arts  which  imitate  these. 

It  is  not  wonderful  that  the  variety  and  incon- 
stancy of  tastes  respecting  the  attributes  and  the 
characters  of  beauty,  should  have  led  many  philos- 
ophers to  deny  that  there  exist  any  certain  combi- 
nations of  forms  and  of  effects  to  which  the  term 
beauty  ought  to  be  invariably  attached. 

In  his  "Philosophical  Dictionary,"  Voltaire,  after 
quoting  some  nonsense  from  the  crazy  dreamer 
who  did  so  much  injury  to  Greek  philosophy, 
says :  "  I  am  willing  to  believe  that  nothing  can 
be  more  beautiful  than  this  discourse  of  Plato ; 
but  it  does  not  give  us  very  clear  ideas  of  the 
nature  of  the  beautiful.  Ask  of  a  toad  what  is 
beauty,  pure  beauty,  the  '^'>  f"^"" ;  he  will  answer 
you  that  it  is  his  female,  with  two  large  round  eyes 
projecting  from  her  little  head,  a  large  and  flat 
throat,  a  yellow  belly,  and  a  brown  back.  Ask  the 
devil,  and  he  will  tell  you  that  the  beautiful  is  a 
pair  of  horns,  four  claws,  and  a  tail.  Consult, 
lastly,  the  philosophers,  and  they  will  answer  you 
by  rigmarole :  they  want  something  conformable 
to  the  archetype  of  the  beautiful  in  essence,  to  the 
TO  mW."  This  is  wit,  not  reason :  let  us  look 
for  that  to  a  deeper  thinker  —  as  proposed  above. 

David  Hume  says :  "It  appears  that,  amid  all 
the  variety  and  caprice  of  taste,  there  are  certain 
general  principles  of  approbation  or  blame,  whose 
influence  a  careful  eye  may  trace  in  all  operations 


58  STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEAUTY. 

of  the  mind.  Some  particular  forms  or  qualities, 
from  the  original  structure  of  the  internal  fahric, 
are  calculated  to  please,  and  others  to  displease. 
.  If  they  fail  of  their  effect  in  any  particular 
in-stance,  it  is  from  some  apparent  defect  or  imper- 
fection in  the  organ. 

"  In  each  creature  there  is  a  sound  and  a  de- 
fective state  ;  and  the  former  alone  can  be  sup- 
posed to  afford  us  a  true  standard  of  taste  and  sen- 
timent. If,  in  the  sound  state  of  the  organ,  there 
be  an  entire  or  a  considerable  uniformity  of  senti- 
ment among  men,  we  may  thence  derive  an  idea 
of  the  perfect  beauty  ;  in  like  manner  as  the  ap- 
pearance of  objects  in  daylight,  to  the  eye  of  a 
man  in  health,  is  denominated  their  true  and  real 
color." 

To  the  same  purpose  writes  Burke,  after  some 
preliminary  observations:  — 

"  All  the  natural  powers  in  man,  which  I  know, 
that  are  conversant  about  external  objects,  are  the 
senses,  the  imagination,  and  the  judgment. 

"  First,  with  regard  to  the  senses.  We  do  and 
we  must  suppose,  that,  as  the  conformations  of  their 
organs  are  nearly  or  altogether  the  same  in  all  men, 
so  the  manner  of  perceiving  external  objects  is  in 
all  men  the  same,  or  with  little  difference. 

"As  there  will  be  little  doubt  that  bodies  present 
similar  images  to  the  whole  species,  it  must  neces- 
sarily be  allowed,  that  the  pleasures  and  the  pains 
which  every  object  excites  in  one  man,  it  must 
raise  in  all  mankind,  while  it  operates  naturally, 
simply,  and  by  its  proper  powers  only. 


STANDARD    OF    TASTE.  IN    BEAUTY.  &9 

"  Custom,  and  some  other  causes,  have  made 
many  deviations  from  the  natural  pleasures  or 
pains  which  belong  to  these  several  tastes ;  but 
then  the  power  of  distinguishing  between  the 
natural  and  the  acquired  relish  remains  to  the 
very  last. 

"  There  is  in  all  men  a  sufficient  remembrance 
of  the  original  natural  causes  of  pleasure,  to  enable 
them  to  bring  all  things  offered  to  their  senses  to 
that  standard,  and  to  regulate  their  feelings  and 
opinions  by  it. 

.  "  Suppose  one  who  had  so  vitiated  his  palate  as 
to  take  more  pleasure  in  the  taste  of  opium  than 
in  that  of  butter  or  honey,  to  be  presented  with  a 
•bolus  of  squills  ;  there  is  hardly  any  doubt  but  that 
he  would  prefer  the  butter  or  honey  to  this  nause- 
ous morsel,  or  to  any  other  bitter  drug  to  which 
he  had  not  been  accustomed  ;  which  proves  that 
his  palate  was  naturally  like  that  of  other  men  in 
all  things,  that  it  is  still  like  the  palate  of  other 
men  in  many  things,  and  only  vitiated  in  some 
particular  points." 

In  the  same  manner,  Payne  Knight  observes  that 
"  things,  naturally  the  most  nauseous,  become  most 
grateful ;  and  things,  naturally  most  grateful,  most 
insipid. 

"  This  extreme  effect,  however,  only  takes  place 
where  the  palate  has  become  morbid  and  vitiated 
by  continued,  and  even  forced  gratification ;  and 
even  when  the  metaphors  taken  from  this  sense, 
and  employed  to  express  intellectual  qualities,  show 
that  it  is  always  felt  and  considered  as  a  corruption, 


60  STANDARD    OF    TASTE    IN   BEAUTY. 

even  by  those  who  are  most  corrupted :  for  though 
there  are  many  who  prefer  port  wine  to  malmsey, 
and  tobacco  to  sugar,  yet  no  one  ever  spoke  of  a 
sour  or  bitter  temper  as  pleasant,  or  of  a  sweet  one 
as  unpleasant."  By  this  concession,  Knight  an- 
swers several  of  his  own  objections. 

"  When  it  is  said,"  farther  observes  Burke,  very 
properly,  "taste  cannot  be  disputed,  it  can  only 
mean,  that  no  one  can  strictly  answer  what  pleasure 
or  pain  some  particular  man  may  find  from  the  taste 
of  some  particular  thing.  This  indeed  cannot  be 
disputed ;  but  we  may  dispute,  and  with  sufficient 
clearness  too,  concerning  the  things  which  are 
naturally  pleasing  or  disagreeable  to  the  sense. 
But  when  we  talk  of  any  peculiar  or  acquired  rel- 
ish, then  we  must  know  the  habits,  the  prejudices, 
or  the  distempers  of  this  particular  man,  and  we 
must  draw  our  conclusions  from  those." 

Hume  proceeds  to  a  second  point,  by  observing 
that  "  one  obvious  cause,  why  many  feel  not  the 
proper  sentiment  of  beauty,  is  the  want  of  that 
delicacy  of  imagination  which  is  requisite  to  con- 
vey a  sensibility  of  those  finer  emotions. 

"Where  the  organs  are  so  fine,  as  to  allow  noth- 
ing to  escape  them,  and  at  the  same  time  so  exact, 
as  to  perceive  every  ingredient  in  the  composition; 
this  we  call  delicacy  of  taste,  whether  we  employ 
these  terms  in  the  literal  or  metaphorical  sense." 

Burke  enlarges  on  this,  after  preliminary  obser- 
ving that  "  the  power  of  the  imagination  is  incapable 
of  producing  anything  absolutely  new  ;  it  can  only 
vary  the  disposition  of  those  ideas  which  it  has 


STANDARD    OF    TASTE    IN   BEATTTY.  61 

received  from  the  senses.  Now,  the  imagination 
is  the  most  extensive  province  of  pleasure  and  pain, 
as  it  is  the  region  of  our  fears  and  our  hopes,  and 
of  all  our  passions  that  are  connected  with  them. 

"Since  the  imagination  is  only  the  representation 
of  the  senses,  it  can  only  he  pleased  or  displeased 
with  the  images,  from  the  same  principle  on  which 
the  sense  is  pleased  or  displeased  with  the  realities  j 
and  consequently  there  must  be  just  as  close  an 
agreement  in  the  imaginations  as  in  the  senses  of 
men. 

"  There  are  some  men  formed  with  feelings  so 
blunt,  with  tempers  so  cold  and  phlegmatic,  that 
they  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  awake  during  the 
whole  course  of  their  lives.  Upon  such  persons, 
the  most  striking  objects  make  but  a  faint  and 
obscure  impression.  There  are  others  so  continu- 
ally in  the  agitation  of  gross  and  merely  sensual 
pleasures,  or  so  occupied  in  the  low  drudgery  of 
avarice,  or  so  heated  in  the  chase  of  honors  and 
distinction,  that  their  minds,  which  had  been  used 
continually  to  the  storms  of  these  violent  and  tem- 
pestuous passions,  can  hardly  be  put  in  motion  by 
the  delicate  and  refined  play  of  the  imagination. 
These  men,  though  from  a  different  cause,  become 
as  stupid  and  insensible  as  the  former  ;  but  when- 
ever either  of  these  happen  to  be  struck  with  any 
natural  elegance  or  greatness,  or  with  these  qualities 
in  any  work  of  art,  they  are  moved  upon  the  same 
principle." 

On  a  third  point,  Hume  says :  "  But  though  there 
be  naturally  a  wide  difference  in  point  of  delicacy 
6 


62  STANDARD    OF   TASTE   IN   BEATTTY. 

between  one  person  and  another,  nothing  tends 
farther  to  increase  and  improve  this  talent,  than 
practice  in  a  particular  art,  and  the  frequent  survey 
or  contemplation  of  a  particular  species  of  beauty. 

"So  advantageous  is  practice  to  the  discernment 
of  beauty,  that,  before  we  can  give  judgment  on 
any  work  of  importance,  it  will  even  be  requisite 
that  that  very  individual  performance  be  more  than 
once  perused  by  us,  and  be  surveyed  in  different 
lights  with  attention  and  deliberation." 

This  is  well  illustrated  by  Burke,  who  observes: 
"  It  is  kno^\^l  that  the  taste  (whatever  it  is)  is  im- 
proved exactly  as  we  improve  our  knowledge,  by 
a  steady  attention  to  our  object,  and  by  frequent 
exercise. 

"  To  illustrate  this  —  (that  there  is  a  difference, 
not  in  the  causes,  nor  in  the  manner  of  men's  being 
affected,  but  in  the  degree,  owing  to  natural  sensi- 
bility, or  greater  attention  to  the  object)  — to  illus- 
trate this  by  the  procedure  of  the  senses  in  which 
the  same  difference  is  found,  let  us  suppose  a  very 
smooth  marble-table  to  be  set  before  two  men  j 
they  both  perceive  it  to  be  smooth,  and  they  are 
both  pleased  with  it  because  of  this  quality.  So 
far  they  agree. 

"But  suppose  another,  and  after  that  another 
table,  the  latter  still  smoother  than  the  former,  to 
be  set  before  them.  It  is  now  very  probable  that 
these  men,  who  are  so  agreed  upon  what  is  smooth, 
and  in  the  pleasure  thence,  will  disagree  when  they 
come  to  settle  which  table  has  the  advantage  in 
point  of  polish.  .  .  .  Nor  is  it  easy,  when  such  a 


STANDARD    OF    TASTE    IN    BEAUTY.  63 

difference  arises,  to  settle  the  point,  if  the  excess 
or  diminution  be  not  glaring. 

"  In  these  nice  cases,  supposing  the  acuteness 
of  the  sense  equal,  the  greater  attention  and.  habit 
in  such  things  will  have  the  advantage.  In  the 
question  about. the  tables,  the  marble-polisher  vsrill 
unquestionably  determine  the  most  accurately. 

"  In  the  imagination,  beside  the  pain  or  pleasure 
arising  from  the  properties  of  the  natural  object,  a 
pleasure  is  perceived  from  the  resemblance  which 
the  imitation  has  to  the  original. 

"  All  men  are  nearly  equal  in  this  point,  as  far 
as  their  knowledge  of  the  things  represented  or 
compared  extends. 

"  The  principle  of  this  knowledge  is  very  much 
accidental,  as  it  depends  upon  experience  and 
observation,  and  not  on  the  strength  or  weakness 
of  any  natural  faculty ;  and  it  is  from  this  differ- 
ence in  knowledge  that  what  we  commonly,  though 
with  no  great  exactness,  call  a  difference  in  taste, 
proceeds. 

"A  man  to  whom  sculpture  is  new  sees  a  barber's 
block,  or  some  ordinary  piece  of  statuary ;  he  is 
immediately  struck  and  pleased,  because  he  sees 
something  like  a  human  figure  ;  and  entirely  taken 
up  with  this  likeness,  he  does  not  at  all  attend  to 
its  defects.  No  person,  I  believe,  at  the  first  time 
of  seeing  a  piece  of  imitation,  ever  did.  .Some 
time  after,  we  suppose  that  this  novice  lights  upon 
a  more  artificial  work  of  the  same  nature  ;  he  be- 
gins to  look  with  contempt  on  what  he  admired  at 
first  J  not  that  he  admired  it  even  then  for  its  un- 


64>  STANDARD    OF   TASTE    IN   BEAUTY. 

likeness  to  a  man,  but  for  that  general  though  in- 
accurate resemblance  which  it  bore  to  the  human 
figure.  What  he  admired  at  different  times  in  these 
so  different  figures,  is  strictly  the  same  ;  and  though 
his  knowledge  is  improved,  his  taste  is  not  altered. 
Hitherto  his  mistake  was  from  a  want  of  knowledge 
in  art,  and  this  arose  from  his  inexperience  j  but  he 
may  be  still  deficient,  from  a  want  of  knowledge  in 
nature.  For  it  is  possible  that  the  man  in  question 
may  stop  here,  and  that  the  masterpiece  of  a  great 
hand  may  please  him  no  more  than  the  middling 
performance  of  a  vulgar  artist  j  and  this  not  for 
want  of  better  or  higher  relish,  but  because  all  men 
do  not  observe  with  sufficient  accuracy  on  the  hu- 
man figure,  to  enable  them  to  judge  properly  of  an 
imitation  of  it." 

On  other  points,  Hume  makes  the  following  ob- 
servations : — 

"  Without  being  frequently  obliged  to  form  com- 
parisons between  the  several  species  and  degrees 
of  excellence,  and  estimating  their  proportion  to 
each  other  ...  a  man  is  indeed  totally  unqualified 
to  pronounce  an  opinion  with  regard  to  any  object 
presented  to  him.  By  comparison  alone,  we  fix  the 
epithets  of  praise  or  blame,  and  learn  how  to  assign 
the  due  degree  of  each. 

"  But  to  enable  a  critic  more  fully  to  execute  this 
undertaking,  he  must  preserve  his  mind  free  from 
all  prejudice  and  allow  nothing  to  enter  into  his 
consideration,  but  the  very  object  which  is  submit- 
ted to  his  examination. 

"  It  is  well  known,  that,  in  all  questions  submitted 


STANDAED    OF    TASTE    IN    BEATJTY.  65 

to  the  understanding,  prejudice  is  destructive  of 
sound  judgment,  and  perverts  all  operations  of  the 
intellectual  faculties :  it  is  no  less  contrary  to  good 
taste  ;  nor  has  it  less  influence  to  corrupt  our  sen- 
timents of  beauty.  It  belongs  to  good  sense  to  check 
its  influence  in  both  cases ;  and  in  this  respect,  as 
well  as  in  many  others,  reason,  if  not  an  essential 
part  of  taste,  is  at  least  requisite  to  the  operations 
of  this  latter  faculty.  In  all  the  nobler  productions 
of  genius,  there  is  a  mutual  relation  and  corre- 
spondence of  parts ;  nor  can  either  the  beauties  or 
blemishes  be  perceived  by  him  whose  thought  is 
not  capacious  enough  to  comprehend  all  those  parts, 
and  compare  them  with  each  other,  in  order  to 
perceive  the  consistence  and  uniformity  of  the 
whole.  Every  work  of  art  has  also  a  certain  end 
or  purpose  for  which  it  is  calculated ;  and  is  to  be 
deemed  more  or  less  perfect,  as  it  is  more  or  less 
fitted  to  attain  this  end." 

To  a  repetition  of  this,  Burke  adds  some  useful 
remarks : — 

"As  many  of  the  works  of  imagination  are  not 
confined  to  representation  of  sensible  objects,  nor 
to  efforts  upon  the  passions,  but  extend  themselves 
to  the  manners,  the  characters,  the  actions,  and 
designs  of  men,  their  relations,  their  virtues  and 
vices,  they  come  within  the  province  of  the  judg- 
ment, which  is  improved  by  attention  and  by  the 
habit  of  reasoning. 

"  The  cause  of  a  wrong  taste  is  a  defect  of  judg- 
ment. And  this  may  arise  from  a  natural  weakness 
of  understanding  (in  whatever  the  strength  of  that 
6* 


66  STANDARD    OF   TASTE    IN    BEATTTy. 

faculty  may  consist),  or  which  is  much  more  com- 
monly the  case,  it  may  arise  from  a  want  of  proper 
and  well-directed  exercise,  which  alone  can  make 
it  strong  and  ready.  Beside  that  ignorance,  inat- 
tention, prejudice,  rashness,  levity,  obstinacy,  in 
short,  all  those  passions,  and  all  those  vices  which 
pervert  the  judgment  in  other  matters,  prejudice  it 
no  less  in  this  its  more  refined  and  elegant  province. 
These  causes  produce  different  opinions  upon  every- 
thing which  is  an  object  of  the  understanding, 
without  inducing  us  to  suppose,  that  there  are  no 
settled  principles  of  reason. 

"  A  rectitude  of  judgment  in  the  arts,  which  may 
be  called  a  good  taste,  does  in  a  great  measure  de- 
pend upon  sensibility  ;  because,  if  the  mind  has  no 
bent  to  the  pleasures  of  the  imagination,  it  will 
never  apply  itself  sufficiently  to  works  of  that  spe- 
cies to  acquire  a  competent  knowledge  in  them. 
But  though  a  degree  of  sensibility  is  requisite  to 
form  a  good  judgment,  yet  a  good  judgment  does 
not  necessarily  arise  from  a  quick  sensibility  of 
pleasure  ;  it  frequently  happens  that  a  very  poor 
judge,  merely  by  force  of  a  greater  complexional 
sensibility,  is  more  affected  by  a  poor  piece,  than 
the  best  judge  by  the  most  perfect ;  for  as  every- 
thing new,  extraordinary,  grand,  or  passionate,  is 
well  calculated  to  affect  such  a  person,  and  that  the 
faults  do  not  affect  him,  his  pleasure  is  more  pure 
and  unmixed. 

"  In  the  morning  of  our  days,  when  the  senses 
are  unworn  and  tender,  when  the  whole  man  is 
awake  in  every  part,  and  the  gloss  of  novelty  fresh 


STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEAlTTy.  67 

upon  all  the  objects  that  surround  us,  how  lively  at 
that  time  are  our  sensations,  but  how  false  and  in- 
accurate the  judgments  we  form  of  things ! 

"  Every  trivial  cause  of  pleasure  is  apt  to  affect 
the  man  of  too  sanguine  a  complexion :  his  appe- 
tite is  to  keen  to  suffer  his  taste  to  be  delicate. 
.  .  .  One  of  this  character  can  never  be  a  refined 
judge;  never  what  the  comic  poet  calls  ^ elegans 
formarum  spectaior.^ 

"  The  rude  hearer  is  affected  by  the  principles 
which  operate  in  these  arts  even  in  their  rudest 
condition ;  and  he  is  not  skilful  enough  to  perceive 
the  defects.  But  as  arts  advance  toward  their 
perfection,  the  science  of  criticism  advances  with 
equal  pace,  and  the  pleasure  of  judges  is  frequently 
interrupted  by  the  faults  which  are  discovered  in 
the  most  finished  compositions." 

The  chief  idea  above  expressed,  is  again  repeat- 
ed by  Sir  J.  Reynolds,  who  says  :  "  The  principles 
of  these  (the  imagination  and  the  passions)  are  as 
invariable  as  the  former  (the  senses),  and  are  to  be 
known  and  reasoned  upon  in  the  same  manner,  by 
an  appeal  to  common  sense  deciding  upon  the  com- 
mon feelings  of  mankind." 

These  views  are  thus  summed  by  Hume  :  "  The 
organs  of  internal  sensation  are  seldom  so  perfect 
as  to  allow  the  general  principles  their  full  play, 
and  produce  a  feeling  correspondent  to  those  prin- 
ciples. They  either  labor  under  some  defect,  or 
are  vitiated  by  some  disorder  ;  and  by  that  means, 
excite  a  sentiment,  which  may  be  pronounced  er- 
roneous.    When  the   critic   has  no  delicacy,  he 


68  STANDARD  OF  TASTE  IN  BEATTTY. 

judges  without  any  distinction,  and  is  only  affected 
by  the  grosser  and  more  palpable  qualities  of  the 
object :  the  finer  touches  pass  unnoticed  and  dis- 
regarded. Where  he  is  not  aided  by  practice,  his 
verdict  is  attended  with  confusion  and  hesitation. 
Where  no  comparison  has  been  employed,  the 
most  frivolous  beauties,  such  as  rather  merit  the 
name  of  defects,  are  the  object  of  his  admiration. 
Where  he  lies  under  the  influence  of  prejudice, 
all  his  natural  sentiments  are  perverted.  Where 
good  sense  is  wanting,  he  is  not  qualified  to  dis- 
cern the  beauties  of  design  and  reasoning,  which 
are  the  highest  and  most  excellent.  Under  some 
or  other  of  these  imperfections,  the  generality  of 
men  labor  ;  and  hence,  a  true  judge  in  the  finer 
arts  is  observed,  even  during  the  most  polished 
ages,  to  be  so  rare  a  character :  strong  sense,  uni- 
ted to  delicate  sentiment,  improved  by  practice, 
perfected  by  comparison,  and  cleared  of  all  preju- 
dice, can  alone  entitle  critics  to  this  valuable  char- 
acter ;  and  the  joint  verdict  of  such,  wherever  they 
are  to  be  found,  is  the  true  standard  of  taste  and 
beautj^" 

Taking  the  principal  ideas  above,  Burke  also 
concludes  :  "  On  the  whole  it  appears  to  me,  that 
what  is  called  taste,  in  its  most  general  accepta- 
tion, is  not  a  simple  idea,  but  is  partly  made  up  of 
a  perception  of  the  primary  J)leasures  of  sense,  of 
the  secondary  pleasures  of  the  imagination,  and  of 
the  conclusions  of  the  reasoning  faculty,  concern- 
ing the  various  relations  of  these,  and  concerning 
the  human  passions,  manners,  and  actions." 


STANDAED  OF  TASTE  IN  BEATTTY.  69 

"  It  is  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose,"  Hume 
farther  observes,  "  if  we  have  proved  that  the  taste 
of  all  individuals  is  not  upon  an  equal  footing,  and 
that  some  men  in  general,  however  difficult  to  be 
particularly  pitched  upon,  will  be  acknowledged 
by  universal  sentiment  to  have  a  preference  above 
others. 

"  Though  men  of  delicate  taste  be  rare,  they  are 
easily  to  be  distinguished  in  society  by  the  sound- 
ness of  their  understanding,  and  the  superiority  of 
their  faculties  above  the  rest  of  mankind.  The 
ascendant  which  they  acquire,  gives  a  prevalence 
to  that  lively  approbation,  with  which  they  receive 
any  productions  of  genius,  and  renders  it  generally 
predominant.  Many  men,  when  left  to  themselves, 
have  but  a  faint  and  dubious  perception  of  beauty, 
who  yet  are  capable  of  relishing  any  fine  stroke 
which  is  pointed  out  to  them.  Every  convert  to 
the  admiration  of  the  real  poet  or  orator,  is  the 
cause  of  some  new  conversion.  And  though  preju- 
dices may  prevail  for  a  time,  they  never  unite  in 
celebrating  any  rival  to  the  true  genius,  but  yield 
at  last  to  the  force  of  nature  and  just  sentiment." 

Hume  finally  obviates  some  apparent  difficul- 
ties :  — 

"  But  notwithstanding  all  our  endeavors  to  fix  a 
standard  of  taste,  and  reconcile  the  discordant  ap- 
prehensions of  men,  there  still  remain  two  sources 
of  variation,  which  are  not  sufficient  indeed  to  con- 
found all  the  boundaries  of  beauty  and  deformity, 
but  will  often  serve  to  produce  a  difference  in  the 
degrees  of  our  approbation  or  blame.     The  one  is 


70  STANDAED  OF  TASTE  IN  BEAITTY. 

the  different  humors  of  particular  men ;  the  other, 
the  particular  manner  and  opinions  of  our  age  and 
country. 

"  A  young  man,  whose  passions  are  warm,  will 
be  more  sensibly  touched  with  amorous  and  tender 
images,  than  a  man, more  advanced  in  years,  who 
takes  pleasure  in  wise,  philosophical  reflections, ' 
concerning  the  conduct  of  life  and  moderation  of 
the  passions.  At  twenty,  Ovid  may  be  the  favorite 
author ;  Horace  at  forty ;  and  perhaps  Tacitus  at 
fifty.  Vainly  would  we,  in  such  cases,  endeavor 
to  enter  into  the  sentiments  of  others,  and  divest 
ourselves  of  those  propensities  which  are  natural 
to  us.  We  choose  our  favorite  author  as  we  do 
our  friend,  from  a  conformity  of  humor  and  dispo- 
sition. 

"  Such  preferences  are  innocent  and  unavoidable, 
and  can  never  reasonably  be  the  object  of  dispute, 
because  there  is  no  standard  by  which  they  can  be 
decided. 

"  For  a  like  reason,  we  are  more  pleased,  in  the 
course  of  our  reading,  with  pictures  and  characters 
that  resemble  objects  which  are  found  in  our  own 
age  or  country,  than  with  those  which  describe  a 
different  set  of  customs. 

"  A  man  of  learning  and  reflection  can  make 
allowance  for  these  peculiarities  of  manners ;  but 
a  common  audience  can  never  divest  themselves  so 
far  of  their  usual  ideas  and  sentiments,  as  to  relish 
pictures  which  nowise  resemble  them." 

Thus  I  believe  the  reader  has  before  him  a  view, 
sufficiently  clear,  of  that  popular  topic,  the  stan- 


STANDARD  OP  TASTE  IN  BEAUTY.  71 

dard  of  taste,  as  well  as  of  the  agreement  which 
subsists  among  the  best  writers  on  the  subject. 
In  the  next  chapter,  we  proceed  to  a  more  funda- 
mental and  difficult  inquiry. 


72  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 


On  the  subject  of  the  preceding  chapter,  even 
the  reasonings  of  Hume  appear  to  me  to  be  of  too 
vague  and  indefinite  a  kind.  It  requires  the  more 
minute  scrutiny  into  which  I  shall  now  enter,  in 
order  to  place  it  upon  a  deeper  and  more  scientific 
foundation.  If  I  can  here  show  that,  in  the  mate- 
rial qualities  of  the  objects  of  nature  and  art,  there 
exist  elements  of  beauty  equally  invariable  in  them- 
selves and  in  the  kind  of  effect  they  produce  upon 
the  mind,  it  is  evident  there  can  be  no  farther  dis- 
pute about  a  standard  of  beauty. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  determine  the 
material  elements  of  beauty,  by  Hogarth,  Home, 
and  others.  All  have  more  or  less  failed,  from  not 
observing  that  these  elements  are  modified,  varied, 
and  complicated,  as  we  advance  from  the  most 
simple  to  the  most  complex  class  of  natural  beings, 
or  of  the  arts  which  relate  to  these  respectively. 
Many  partial  views  of  perfect  truth  and  great  in- 


•  To  the  reader  unaccustomed  to  inquiries  of  this  kind,  it  may 
save  trouble  to  peruse  first  the  brief  Summary  of  the  contents  of 
this  important  chapter,  beginning  in  page  120. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  73 

terest  have  been  taken,  and  by  every  one  of  these 
it  will  be  my  duty  here  to  profit :  but,  from  the 
failure  just  pointed  out,  no  philosophical  and  sys- 
tematic doctrine  of  beauty,  ascending  from  its  ori- 
gin in  elements  through  its  higher  combinations, 
has  ever  been  attained  by  any  of  the  numerous, 
deep,  acute,  and  elegant  thinkers  who  have  devoted 
their  time  to  this  subject,  as  the  foundation  of  taste 
and  of  the  fine  or  intellectual  arts. 

Profiting,  as  I  ought  to  do,  by  the  partial  vievirs 
of  these  philosophers,  I  pretend  here  only  to  take 
one  larger  view — to  analyze,  to  generalize,  to 
systematize,  the  materials  which  they  present  to 
me. 

In  the  hope  of  accomplishing  this,  I  shall  now 
endeavor  successively  to  trace  the  elements  of 
beauty  which  belong  respectively  to  inanimate, 
living,  and  thinking  beings,  and  to  the  useful,  orna- 
mental, and  intellectual  arts  which  have  a  refer- 
ence to  these,  the  neglect  of  all  which  I  have 
described  as  the  fundamental  cause  of  previous 
failure. 

Again,  I  repeat,  it  is  to  this  analysis  and  gener- 
alization alone,  and  to  the  systemization  founded 
upon  it,  that  I  make  any  pretence.  The  materials 
have  long  been  presented  by  all  the  great  writers 
on  the  subject :  they  have  only  left  them  in  confu- 
sion, and  without  conclusion.  I  shall  now  proceed 
to  employ  them. 

7 


74  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 


SECTION  I. 

ELEMENTS    OF  BEAUTY  IN  INANIMATE   BEINGS. 

Thoitgh  Burke  did  not  accurately  trace  the  ele- 
ments of  beauty  in  any  one  class  of  the  objects 
of  nature  or  art,  he  yet  states  a  preliminary  truth 
on  this  subject  so  well,  that  I  here  quote  it :  "It 
would  be  absurd,"  he  observes,  "to  say  that  all 
things  affect  us  by  association  only  ;  since  some 
things  must  have  been  originally  and  naturally 
agreeable  or  disagreeable,  from  which  the  others 
derive  their  associated  powers ;  and  it  would  be, 
I  fancy,  to  little  purpose  to  look  for  the  cause  of 
our  passions  in  association,  until  we  fail  of  it  in  the 
natural  properties  of  things." 

Home,  advancing  farther,  says  :  "  If  a  tree  be 
beautiful  by  means  of  its  color,  its  figure,  its  size, 
its  motion,  it  is  in  reality  possessed  of  so  many 
different  beauties,  which  ought  to  be  examined 
separately,  in  order  to  have  a  clear  notion  of  the 
whole. 

"  When  any  body  is  viewed  as  a  whole,  the 
beauty  of  its  figure  arises  from  regularity*  and 
simplicity ;  and  vicAving  the  parts  with  relation 
to  each  other,  from  uniformity*,  proportion,  and 
order." 


•  Regularity  expresses  the  similarity  of  parts  considered  as 
constituting  a  whole  ;  and  uniformity,  the  similarity  of  parts  con- 
sidered separately. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  75 

I  will  here  only  observe  that  these  are  the  quali- 
ties, as  will  speedily  appear,  which  Burke  should 
have  set  down  as  the  fundamental  and  first  char  • 
acteristics  of  beauty,  instead  of  relative  littleness, 
which  belongs  not  to  beauty  generally,  but  only  to 
the  minor  or  subordinate  beauty. 

Even  Home,  having  arrived  thus  far,  says  :  "  To 
inquire  why  an  object,  by  means  of  the  particulars 
mentioned,  appears  beautiful,  would,  I  am  afraid, 
be  a  vain  attempt," 

But  he  truly  adds :  "  One  thing  is  clear,  that 
regularity,  uniformity,  order,  and  simplicity,  con- 
tribute each  of  them  to  readiness  of  apprehension, 
and  enable  us  to  form  more  distinct  images  of 
objects  than  can  be  done,  with  the  utmost  atten- 
tion, where  these  particulars  are  not  found."  And 
he  subjoins:  "This  final  cause  is,  I  acknowledge, 
too  slight,  to  account  satisfactorily  for  a  taste  that 
makes  a  figure  so  illustrious  in  the  nature  of  man  ; 
and  that  this  branch  of  our  constitution  has  a  pur- 
pose still  more  important,  we  have  great  reason  to 
believe." 

Now  had  Home  seen  that  the  characteristics  of 
general  beauty  always  are,  with  regard  to  the  ob- 
ject, accordant  and  agreeable  relations,  the  im- 
portance of  the  qualities  he  has  just  enumerated 
would  have  been  evident ;  for,  without  them,  these 
characteristics  of  the  object  could  not  exist :  sim- 
plicity, regularity,  uniformity,  order,  &c.,  are  the 
very  elements  of  accordant  and  agreeable  relations. 
This  is  in  reality  the  still  more  important  purpose 
in  which  Home  believed,  and  to  which  the  readiness 


76  THE    ELE.MF.NTS    OF    BEAUTV. 

of  apprehension  he  now  alludes  to  eminently  con- 
tributes. 

As  to  simplicity,  he  observes,  that  "  a  multitude 
of  objects  crowding  into  the  mind  at  once,  disturb 
the  attention,  and  pass  without  making  any  im- 
pression, or  any  lasting  impression ;  and  in  a  group, 
no  single  object  makes  the  figure  it  would  do  apart, 
when  it  occupies  the  whole  attention.  For  the 
same  reason,  even  a  single  object,  when  it  divides 
the  attention  by  the  multiplicity  of  its  parts,  equals 
not,  in  strength  of  impression,  a  more  simple  object 
comprehended  in  a  single  view :  parts  extremely 
complex  must  be  considered  in  portions  succes- 
sively; and  a  number  of  impressions  in  succession, 
which  cannot  unite  because  not  simultaneous,  never 
touch  the  mind  like  one  entire  impression  made  as 
it  were  at  one  stroke. 

"A  square  is  less  beautiful  than  a  circle,  because 
it  is  less  simple  :  a  circle  has  parts  as  well  as  a 
square ;  but  its  parts  not  being  distinct  like  those 
of  a  square,  it  makes  one  entire  impression  ;  where- 
as, the  attention  is  divided  among  the  sides  and 
angles  of  a  square.  .  .  A  square,  though  not 
more  regular  than  a  hexagon  or  octagon,  is  more 
beautiful  than  either,  because  a  square  is  more 
simple,  and  the  attention  less  divided. 

"  Simplicity  thus  contributes  to  beauty." 

By  regularity  is  meant  that  circumstance  in  a 
figure  by  which  we  perceive  it  to  be  formed  accord- 
ing to  a  certain  rule.  Thus,  a  circle,  a  square,  a 
parallelogram,  or  triangle,  pleases  by  its  regularity. 

"A  square,"  says  Home  —  (who  here  furnishes 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  77 

the  best  materials  to  a  more  general  view,  because 
he  most  frequently  assigns  physical  causes,  and 
whom,  with  some  abbreviation,  I  therefore  continue 
to  quote)  —  "a  square  is  more  beautiful  than  a 
parallelogram,  because  the  former  exceeds  the 
latter  in  regularity  and  in  uniformity  of  parts. 
This  is  true  with  respect  to  intrinsic  beauty  only ; 
for  in  many  instances,  utility  comes  in  to  cast  the 
balance  on  the  side  of  the  parallelogram :  this 
figure  for  the  doors  and  windows  of  a  dwelling- 
house,  is  preferred  because  of  utility ;  and  here 
we  find  the  beauty  of  utility  prevailing  over  that 
of  regularity  and  uniformity." 

Thus  regularity  and  uniformity  contribute  to 
intrinsic  beauty. 

"  A  parallelogram,  again,  depends  for  its  beauty 
on  the  proportion  [or  relation  of  quantity]  of  its 
sides.  Its  beauty  is  lost  by  a  great  inequality  of 
these  sides :  it  is  also  lost  by  their  approximating 
toward  equality  ;  for  proportion  there  degenerates 
into  imperfect  uniformity,  and  the  figure  appears 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  toward  a  square." 

Thus  proportion  contributes  to  beauty. 

"An  equilateral  triangle  yields  not  to  a  square 
in  regularity  nor  in  uniformity  of  parts,  and  it  is 
more  simple.  Its  inferiority  in  beauty  is  at  least 
partly  owing  to  inferiority  of  order  in  the  position 
of  its  parts :  the  sides  of  an  equilateral  triangle 
incline  to  each  other  in  the  same  angle,  which  is 
the  most  perfect  order  they  are  susceptible  of;  but 
this  order  is  obscure,  and  far  from  being  so  perfect 
as  the  parallelism  of  the  sides  of  a  square," 
7* 


78  THE   ELEMENTS    OF    BEATTTT. 

Thus  order  contributes  to  the  beauty  of  visible 
objects. 

"  A  mountain,  it  may  be  objected,  is  an  agreeable 
object,  without  so  much  as  the  appearance  of 
regularity ;  and  a  chain  of  mountains  is  still  more 
agreeable,  without  being  arranged  in  any  order. 
But  though  regularity,  uniformity,  and  order,  are 
causes  of  beauty,  there  are  also  other  causes  of  it, 
as  color ;  and  when  we  pass  from  small  to  great 
objects,  and  consider  grandeur  instead  of  beauty, 
very  little  regularity  is  required." 

It  follows,  from  all  that  has  been  here  said,  and 
this  has  been  shown  by  Burke,  that  any  rugged, 
any  sudden  projection,  any  sharp  angle,  is  in  the 
highest  degree  contrary  to  the  idea  of  beauty. 
Such  projections  and  angles  are  destitute  of  all 
the  qualities  which  have  just  been  enumerated  — 
simplicity,  regularity,  uniformity,  proportion,  order ; 
and  conformably  to  the  principles  I  have  laid 
down  in  a  previous  chapter,  they  can  present  only 
relations  which  are  naturally  disagreeable.  This 
view  is  corroborated  by  the  fact,  that  all  very  sharp, 
broken,  or  angular  objects,  were  disagreeable  to 
the  boy  couched  by  Cheselden,  as  they  are  to  all 
eyes  of  very  nice  sensibility. 

Now,  as  angular  forms  give,  to  the  sense  of  touch, 
sharpness,  roughness,  or  harshness,  so  do  opposite 
forms  give  smoothness  or  fineness.  Hence,  Burke 
makes  smoothness  his  second  characteristic  of 
beauty,  and  that  far  more  truly  than  he  makes 
littleness  its  first,  for,  as  he  observes,  "  smooth- 
ness is  a  quality  so  essential  to  beauty,  that  I  do 


THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEAUTY.  79^ 

not  now  recollect  anything  beautiful  that  is  not 
smooth." 

Such  being  really  the  case,  I  am  bound  to  expose 
Knight's  sophistry  on  this  point.  "  This  elegant 
author,"  says  he,  "  has  expatiated  upon  the  gratifi- 
cations of  feeling  smooth  and  undulating  surfaces 
in  general :  but,  I  believe,  these  gratifications  have 
been  confined  to  himself;  and  probably  to  his  own 
imagination  acting  through  the  medium  of  his 
favorite  system  :  for,  except  in  the  communication 
of  the  sexes,  which  affords  no  general  illustration, 
and  ought  therefore  to  be  kept  entirely  out  of  the 
question,  I  have  never  heard  of  any  person  being 
addicted  to  such  luxuries  ;  though  a  feeling-board 
would  certainly  afford  as  cheap  and  innocent  a 
gratification,  as  either  a  smelling-bottle,  a  picture, 
or  a  flute,  provided  it  were  capable  of  affording  any 
gratification  at  all." 

This  is  a  good  specimen  of  the  kind  of  perverted 
reasoning,  which  peculiarly  distinguishes  Knight. 

A  man  affecting  the  character  of  philosopher, 
ought  calmly  to  have  observed  that,  by  young 
people  before  puberty,  and,  consequently,  when 
there  is  not  the  slightest  sexual  bias,  smooth  ob- 
jects are  generally  found  to  be  agreeable,  and 
rough  or  harsh  ones  to  be  the  reverse.  This  would 
at  once  have  set  him  right  upon  this  point. 

If,  to  such  a  man,  it  should  for  a  moment  have 
appeared  worth  while  to  ask  why  we  do  not  make 
use  of  feeling-boards,  as  well  as  of  smelling-bottles, 
he  ought  to  have  sought  the  solution  of  his  difficulty 
in  the  nature  of  the  senses ;  and  then,  with  a  trifle 


80  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

more  of  ability  than  Payne  Knight  hereby  shows 
himself  to  have  possessed,  he  would  have  seen  that 
smoothness  affords  us  as  much  pleasure  as  any 
smell,  but  that,  as  it  would  have  been  always 
troublesome,  and  often  impossible,  to  apply  our 
fingers  to  smooth  surfaces,  we  generally  receive 
the  varied  and  incessant  pleasure  it  affords,  by 
means  of  sight;  that  it  is  borne  by  light  to  the 
eye,  as  smell  is  by  the  air  ;  and  that  this  is  the 
reason  why,  except  when  contact  is  indispensable, 
we  have  no  need  of  anything  in  the  way  of  a 
feeling-board. 

But  Knight  says  :  "  Smoothness  being  properly  a 
quality,  perceivable  only  by  the  touch,  and  applied 
metaphorically  to  the  objects  of  the  other  senses, 
we  often  apply  it,  very  improperly,  to  those  of 
vision  ;  assigning  smoothness  as  a  cause  of  visible 
beauty,  to  things  which,  though  smooth  to  the 
touch,  cast  the  most  sharp,  harsh,  and  angular  re- 
flections of  light  upon  the  eyes;  and  these  reflec- 
tions are  all  that  the  eye  feels,  or  naturally  per- 
ceives. .  .  .  Such  are  all  objects  of  cut-glass  or 
polished  metal ;  as  may  be  seen  by  the  manner  in 
which  painters  imitate  them  :  for,  as  the  imitations 
of  painting  extend  only  to  the  visible  qualities  of 
bodies,  they  show  those  visible  qualities  fairly  and 
impartially.  .  .  .  Yet  the  imitative  representation  of 
such  objects  in  painting  is  far  less  harsh  and  daz- 
zling than  the  effects  of  them  in  reality  :  for  there 
are  no  materials  that  a  painter  can  employ,  capable 
of  expressing  the  sharpness  and  brilliancy  of  those 
angular  reflections  of  the  collected  and  condensed 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  81 

rays,  which  are  emitted  from  the  surfaces  of  polish- 
ed metals." 

It  seems,  to  me,  scarcely  possible  to  find  sophis- 
try more  worthless  than  this,  or  rather  a  more  con- 
temptible quibble  ;  for  that  which,  availing  himself 
of  our  technicalities  about  light,  he  calls  angulari- 
ty, sharpness,  &c.,  has  no  analogy  with  disagreea- 
ble angularity  of  form.  To  produce  the  brilliance 
and  splendor  which  he  calls  angular,  and  describes 
as  so  offensive,  we  polish  crystalline  and  metallic 
bodies  in  the  highest  degree  !  — we  value  precisely 
those  which  thus  admit  of  greatest  splendor !  — 
and,  on  that  very  account,  the  diamond  (rightly  or 
wrongly,  is  not  the  question)  is  deemed  the  most 
valuable  object  on  earth ! 

So  much  for  those  elements  of  beauty,  in  inani- 
mate things,  which  fall  under  the  cognizance  of 
our  fundamental  sense,  or  that  of  touch. 

As  to  sight  and  its  objects,  it  is  true  that,  as  this 
organ  varies  in  different  persons,  their  taste  is 
modified,  with  regard  to  colors.  But  the  preference 
of  light  and  delicate  colors  to  dark  and  glaring 
ones,  is  almost  universal  among  persons  of  sensi- 
bility. 

Alison,  indeed,  ascribes  the  effects  of  all  colors 
to  association.  "  White,"  he  says,  "  as  it  is  the 
color  of  day,  is  expressive  to  us  of  the  cheerfulness 
or  gayety  which  the  return  of  day  brings  :  black,  as 
the  color  of  darkness  [night],  is  expressive  of 
gloom  and  melancholy."  And  he  adds :  "  Whether 
some  colors  may  not  of  themselves  produce  agree- 
able sensations,  and  others  disagreeable  sensations, 


82  THE   ELEMENTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

I  am  not  anxious  to  dispute."  But  this  is  the  very 
point  into  which  Alison  ought  to  have  inquired. 
Nature  does  nothing  without  foundation  in  the 
simplest  principles  ;  and  this  foundation  is  not  only- 
anterior  to,  but  is  the  cause  of  all  asssociation. 

That,  independent  of  any  association,  blackness  is 
naturally  disagreeable,  if  not  painful,  is  happily  de- 
termined by  the  case  of  the  boy  restored  to  sight 
by  Cheselden,  who  tells  us  that  the  first  time  the 
boy  saw  a  black  object,  it  gave  him  great  uneasi- 
ness ;  and  that,  some  time  after,  upon  accidentally 
seeing  a  negro-woman,  he  was  struck  with  great 
horror  at  the  sight.  This  appears  to  be  perfectly 
conclusive. 

Knight  indeed  says :  "  As  to  the  uneasiness 
which  the  boy,  couched  by  Cheselden,  felt  at  the 
first  sight  of  a  black  object,  it  arose  either  from  the 
harshness  of  its  outline,  or  from  its  appearing  to 
act  as  a  partial  extinguisher  applied  to  his  eyes, 
which,  as  every  object  that  he  saw,  seemed  to 
touch  them,  would,  of  course,  be  its  efiect."  It  is 
highly  probable  that  black  operates  in  both  these 
ways ;  and  it  has  therefore  natural  efiects,  inde- 
pendent of  all  association. 

As  to  sounds,  Alison  observes,  that  the  cries  of 
some  animals  are  sublime,  as  the  roar  of  the  lion, 
the  scream  of  the  eagle,  &c. ;  and  he  thinks  they 
become  so,  because  we  associate  them  with  the 
strength  and  ferocity  of  the  animals  which  utter 
them.  By  opposite  associations,  he  accounts  for 
the  beauty  of  the  notes  of  birds.  And  he  says,  that 
there  is  a  similar  sublimity  or  beauty,  in  the  tones 


THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEAX7TY.  83 

of  the  human  voice,  and  that  "  such  sounds  are  as- 
sociated, in  our  imaginations,  with  the  qualities  of 
mind  of  which  they  are  in  general  expressive,  and 
naturally  produce  in  us  the  conception  of  these 
qualities." 

This  writer  endeavors  to  establish  his  views  on 
this  subject,  by  observing,  that  "  grandeur  or  sub- 
limity of  sound,  can  no  otherwise  arise  from  its 
loudness,  than  as  that  loudness  excites  an  idea  of 
power  in  the  sonorous  object,  or  in  some  other  as- 
sociated with  it  in  the  mind  :  for  a  child's  drum, 
close  to  the  ear,  fills  it  with  more  real  noise,  than 
the  discharge  of  a  cannon  a  mile  offj  and  the  rat- 
tling of  a  carriage  in  the  street,  when  faintly  and 
indistinctly  heard,  has  often  been  mistaken  for 
thunder  at  a  distance.  Yet  no  one  ever  imagined 
the  beating  of  a  child's  drum,  or  the  rattling  of  a 
carriage  over  the  stones,  to  be  grand  or  sublime ; 
which,  nevertheless,  they  must  be,  if  grandeur  or 
sublimity  belong  at  all  to  the  sensation  of  loud- 
ness. But  artillery  and  lightning  are  powerful 
engines  of  destruction  ;  and  with  their  power  we 
sympathize,  whenever  the  sound  of  them  excites 
any  sentiments  of  sublimity." 

Now,  all  this  is  directly  opposed  to  the  doctrine 
it  is  meant  to  support.  It  distinctly  implies  that 
loudness  is  so  natural  and  so  frequent  a  result  of 
the  violent  contact  of  bodies,  that  we  sometimes 
mistakenly  ascribe  power  to  objects,  of  which  we 
have  not  correctly  distinguished  the  sounds,  owing 
to  imitation,  distance,  &c.  The  occasional  mistake 
implies  the  general  truth. 


84  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

Alison,  himself,  notwithstanding  his  doctrine  of 
association,  is  accordingly  led  to  observe,  that 
"  there  are  some  philosophers  who  consider  these 
as  the  natural  signs  of  passion  or  affection,  and  who 
believe  that  it  is  not  from  experience,  but  by  means 
of  an  original  faculty,  that  we  interpret  them  :  and 
this  opinion  is  supported  by  great  authorities." 

He  adds  the  following  observations,  which,  not- 
withstanding the  error  they  involve,  are  too  much 
to  the  purpose  to  be  omitted  here,  and  which  in 
reality  illustrate  a  natural  and  true  theory,  better 
than  they  do  his  own  : — 

"  It  is  natural,  however,  to  suppose,  that  in  this, 
as  in  every  case,  our  experience  should  gradually 
lead  to  the  formation  of  some  general  rules,  with 
regard  to  this  expression. 

"  The  great  divisions  of  sound  are  into  loud  and 
low,  grave  and  acute,  long  and  short,  increasing 
and  diminishing.  The  two  first  divisions  are  ex- 
pressive in  themselves :  the  two  last,  only  in  con- 
junction with  others. 

"  Loud  sound  is  connected  with  ideas  of  power 
and  danger.  Many  objects  in  nature  which  have 
such  qualities,  are  distinguished  by  such  sounds ; 
and  this  association  is  farther  confirmed  from  the 
human  voice,  in  which  all  violent  and  impetuous 
passions  are  expressed  in  loud  tones. 

"  Low  sound  has  a  contrary  expression,  and  is 
connected  with  ideas  of  weakness,  gentleness,  and 
delicacy.  This  association  takes  its  rise,  not  only 
from  the  observation  of  inanimate  nature,  or  of 
animals,  where,  in  a  great  number  of  cases,  such 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  85 

sounds  distinguish  objects  with  such  qualities,  but 
particularly  from  the  human  voice,  where  all  gen- 
tle, or  delicate,  or  sorrowful  affections  are  express- 
ed by  such  tones. 

"  Grave  sound  is  connected  with  ideas  of  mod- 
eration, dignity,  solemnity,  &c.,  principally,  I  be- 
lieve, from  all  moderate,  or  restrained,  or  chastened 
affections  being  distinguished  by  such  tones  in  the 
human  voice. 

"  Acute  sound  is  expressive  of  pain,  or  fear,  or 
surprise,  &c.,  and  generally  operates  by  producing 
some  degree  of  astonishment.  This  association, 
also,  seems  principally  to  arise  from  our  experience 
of  such  connexions  in  the  human  voice. 

"  Long  or  lengthened  sound  seems  to  me  to  have 
no  expression  in  itself,  but  only  to  signify  the  con- 
tinuance of  that  quality  which  is  signified  by  other 
qualities  of  sound.  A  loud  or  a  low,  a  grave  or  an 
acute  sound  prolonged  expresses  to  us  no  more 
than  the  continuance  of  the  quality  which  is  gen- 
erally signified  by  such  sounds. 

"  Short  or  abrupt  sound  has  a  contrary  expres- 
sion, and  signifies  the  sudden  cessation  of  the 
quality  thus  expressed. 

"  Increasing  sound  signifies,  in  the  same  manner, 
the  increase  of  the  quality  expressed. 

"  Decreasing  sound  signifies  the  gradual  diminu- 
tion of  such  qualities. 

"  Motion  furnishes  another  sort  of  beauty. 

"  Figure,  color,  and  motion,  readily  blend  in  one 
object,  and  one  general  perception  of  beauty.  In 
8 


86  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

many  beautiful  objects  they  all  unite,  and  render 
the  beauty  greater." 

These  characteristics  are  too  universal  not  to 
support  the  doctrine  of  natural  appropriation  and 
power,  of  which  association  is  merely  a  conse- 
quence. 

It  may  be  said,  that  all  this  chiefly  regards  mere 
geometrical  forms,  not  objects  in  nature.  But,  on 
referring  to  inanimate  objects,  it  will  be  found  that 
they  everywhere  present  these  forms. 

The  round,  the  simplest  form  appears  to  charac- 
terize all  elementary  bodies  and  all  that  are  free 
from  compression,  to  be  in  fact  the  most  elementary 
and  the  most  readily  assumed  in  nature.  This  form, 
accordingly,  is  presented  by  the  drops  of  water  and 
of  every  liquid,  by  every  atom  probably  of  oiiygen, 
hydrogen,  and  azote,  by  the  smallest  as  well  as 
the  largest  bodies,  even  the  innumerable  celestial 
orbs. 

All  the  other,  the  angular  forms  are  presented  by 
inanimate  bodies  under  compression,  or  by  mineral 
crystals. 

Thus,  then,  do  these  simple  geometrical  forms 
characterize  the  simplest  bodies  in  nature ;  and  it 
appears  that  this  first  kind  of  beauty  is  peculiarly 
their  own.  It  will,  in  the  sequel,  be  as  clearly  seen, 
that  each  of  the  other  classes  of  natural  beings 
presents  beauty  of  a  different  kind,  which  similarly 
characterizes  it.  Hence,  no  rational  theory  of 
beauty  could  be  formed  by  writers,  who  indiscrim- 
inatingly  jumbled  together  the  characteristics  of  all 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  fH 

the  kinds  of  beauty,  and  expected  to  find  them 
everywhere. 

As,  then,  from  all  that  has  been  said,  it  appears 
that  all  the  elements  of  beauty  which  have  thus 
been  noticed,  belong  to  inanimate  beings,  and  as 
this  is  shown  by  the  passages  I  have  quoted  from 
the  best  writers,  it  seems  surprising,  not  merely 
that  they  should  not  have  seen  this  to  be  the  case, 
but,  that  it  should  not  have  led  them  to  observe, 
that  there  exists  also  a  second  beauty,  of  living 
beings,  and  third,  of  thinking  beings,  as  well  as 
others  of  the  useful,  the  ornamental,  and  the  intel- 
lectual arts  respectively,  in  each  of  which  some 
new  element  was  only  added  to  the  characters  of 
the  preceding  species. 

It  seems  still  more  surprising  that  Alison,  who 
deviates  so  widely  from  all  fundamental  principles, 
should  have  actually  stumbled  upon  an  observation 
of  a  few  of  the  characteristics  of  inanimate  beings, 
and  traced  them  as  they  pass  upward  through  some 
living  and  thinking  beings — whose  new  character- 
istics, however,  he  did  not  discriminate.  He  ob- 
serves, that  "  the  greater  part  of  those  bodies  in 
nature,  which  possess  hardness,  strength,  or  dura- 
bility, are  distinguished  by  angular  forms.  The 
greater  part  of  those  bodies,  on  the  contrary,  which 
possess  weakness,  fragility,  or  delicacy,  are  distin- 
guished by  winding  or  curvilinear  forms.  In  the 
mineral  kingdom,  all  rocks,  stones,  and  metals,  the 
hardest  and  most  durable  bodies  we  know,  assume 
universally  angular  forms.  In  the  vegetable  king- 
dom, all  strong  and  durable  plants  are  in  general 


88  THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEATTTT. 

distinguished  by  similar  forms.  Tlie  feebler  and 
more  delicate  race  of  vegetables,  on  the  contrary, 
are  mostly  distinguished  by  winding  forms.  In  the 
animal  kingdom,  in  the  same  manner,  strong  and 
powerful  animals  are  generally  characterized  by 
angular  forms ;  feeble  and  delicate  animals,  by  forms 
of  the  contrary  kind."* 


SECTION  II. 

ELEMENTS   OF  BEAUTY  IN  I.I\^NG  BEINGS. 

I  HAVE  now  to  show  that,  in  living  beings,  while 
the  characters  of  the  first  and  fundamental  beauty, 
that  of  inanimate  beings,  are  still  partially  contin- 
ued, new  characteristics  are  added  to  them. 

Plants  accordingly  possess  both  rigid  parts,  like 
some  of  those  described  in  the  preceding  section, 
and  delicate  parts,  which,  in  ascending  through  the 
classes  of  natural  beings  from  the  simplest  to  the 
most  complex,  are  the  very  first  to  present  to  us 
new  and  additional  characters  totally  distinct  from 
those  of  the  preceding  class. 

I.  To  begin  as  nature  does,  then,  we  find  the 
trunks  and  stems  of  plants,  which  are  near  the 
ground,  resembling  most  in  character  the  inanimate 
bodies  from  among  which  they  spring.  They  as- 
sume the  simplest  and  most  universal  form  in  na- 
ture, the. round  one;  but  as  growth  is  their  great 

*  Appeadu  D. 


THE    ELEMENTS    OF   BEATTTT.  89 

function,  they  extend  in  height  and  become  cylin- 
drical. 

Even  the  branches,  the  twigs,  and  the  tendrils, 
continue  this  elementary  character ;  but  it  is  in 
them,  or  in  the  stem  when,  like  them,  it  is  tender, 
that  such  elementary  characters  give  way  to  the 
purposes  of  life,  namely,  growth  and  reproduction, 
and  that  we  discover  the  new  and  additional  char- 
acters of  beauty  which  this  class  presents  to  us. 

II.  To  render  this  matter  plain,  I  must  observe 
that  the  formation  of  rings,  which  unite  in  tubes, 
appears  to  be  almost  universally  the  material  con- 
dition of  growth  and  reproduction.  Every  new 
portion  of  these  tubes,  moreover,  and  every  super- 
added ring,  is  less  than  that  which  preceded  it. 

It  is  from  this  that  results  the  first  characteristic 
of  this  second  kind  of  beauty,  namely,  fineness  or 
delicacy.  Hence,  Burke  made  the  possession  of  a 
delicate  frame,  without  any  remarkable  appearance 
of  strength,  his  fifth  condition  in  beauty ;  and  he 
here  erred  only  from  that  want  of  discrimination 
which  led  him  to  confound  together  all  the  condi- 
tions of  beauty,  and  prevented  his  seeing  that  they 
belonged  to  different  genera. 

Now,  as  fine  and  delicate  bodies,  which  are 
growing,  will  shoot  in  that  direction  where  space, 
air,  and  light,  can  best  be  had,  and  as  this,  amid 
other  twigs  and  tendrils,  will  greatly  vary,  so  will 
their  productions  rarely  continue  long  in  the  same 
straight  line,  but  will,  on  the  contrary,  bend. 
Hence,  the  curved  or  bending  form  is  the  second 
characteristic  of  this  kind  of  beauty. 
8* 


90  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that,  as  the  trunks,  stems, 
twigs,  and  tendrils,  of  plants  assume  the  simplest 
and  most  universal  form  in  nature,  the  round  one, 
so  their  more  delicate  parts  have  again  the  tendency 
to  bend  into  a  similar  form. 

In  the  young  and  feeble  branches  of  plants,  it  is 
observed  by  Alison,  that  the  bending  form  is 
"beautiful,  when  we  perceive  that  it  is  the  conse- 
quence of  the  delicacy  of  their  texture,  and  of 
their  being  overpowered  by  the  weight  of  the 
flower.  ...  In  the  smaller  and  feebler  tribe  of  flow- 
ers, as  in  the  violet,  the  daisy,  or  the  lily  of  the 
valley,  the  bending  of  the  stem  constitutes  a  very 
beautiful  form,  because  we  immediately  perceive 
that  it  is  the  consequence  of  the  weakness  and 
delicacy  of  the  flower." 

From  the  circumstances  now  described,  it  results 
that  all  the  parts  of  plants  present  the  most  sur- 
prising variety.  They  vary  their  direction  every 
moment,  as  Burke  observes,  and  they  change  under 
the  eye  by  a  deviation  continually  carrying  on,  but 
for  whose  beginning  or  end  you  will  find  it  difficult 
to  ascertain  a  point. 

Variety  is  therefore  the  third  characteristic  of 
this  second  kind  of  beauty;  and  in  the  indiscrim- 
inating  views  of  Burke,  he  made  two  similar 
conditions,  viz :  "  Thirdly,  to  have  a  variety  in  the 
direction  of  the  parts  ;  but,  fourthly,  to  have  those 
parts  not  angular,  but  melted  as  it  were  into  each 
other ;"  thus  applying  these  to  beauty  generally, 
to  which  they  are  not  applicable,  but  in  a  confused 
and  imperfect  way. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  91 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  observe  that  variety, 
as  a  character  of  beauty,  owes  its  effect  to  the  need 
of  changing  impressions,  in  order  to  enliven  our 
sensibility,  which  does  not  fail  to  become  inactive 
under  the  long-continued  impression  of  the  same 
stimulant. 

It  is  connected  with  this  variety  that  unequal 
numbers  are  preferred,  as  we  see  in  the  number  of 
flowers  and  of  their  petals,  in  that  of  leaves  grouped 
together,  and  in  the  indentations  of  these  leaves. 

From  all  this  springs  the  fourth  and  last  char- 
acteristic of  this  second  species  of  beauty,  namely, 
contrast.  This  strikes  us  when  we  at  once  look  at 
the  rigid  stem  and  bending  boughs,  and  all  the 
variety  which  the  latter  display. 

It  will  be  observed,  that,  of  all  the  characteristics 
of  beauty,  none  tend  to  render  our  perceptions  so 
vivid  as  variety  and  contrast. 

I  conclude  this  section  with  a  few  remarks  on  the 
errors  which  Alison  has  committed  on  this  subject. 

"  In  the  rose,"  says  that  writer,  "  and  the  white 
lily,  and  in  the  tribe  of  flowering  shrubs,  the  same 
bending  form  assumed  by  the  stem  is  felt  as  a 
defect ;  and  instead  of  impressing  us  with  the  idea 
of  delicacy,  leads  us  to  believe  the  operation  of 
some  force  to  twist  it  into  this  direction."  —  This, 
however,  is  no  defect  arising  from  the  bending 
form  not  being  abstractly  more  beautiful,  but 
from  its  being  contrary  to  the  nature  of  the 
stem  of  flowering  shrubs  to  bend,  from  its  being, 
as  he  himself  observes,  the  result  of  some  force 
to  twist  it. 


92(  THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEATJTT. 

He  asserts,  however,  that  in  plants,  angular  forms 
are  beautiful,  when  they  are  expressive  of  fineness, 
of  tenderness,  of  delicacy,  or  such  affecting  quali- 
ties ;  and  he  thinks  that  this  may  perhaps  appear 
from  the  consideration  of  the  following  instances: — 

"  The  myrtle,  for  instance,  is  generally  reckoned 
a  beautiful  form,  yet  the  growth  of  its  stem  is  per- 
pendicular, the  junction  of  its  branches  form  regular 
and  similar  angles,  and  their  direction  is  in  straight 
or  angular  lines.  The  known  delicacy,  however, 
and  tenderness  of  the  vegetable,  at  least  in  this 
climate,  prevail  over  the  general  expression  of  the 
form,  and  give  it  the  same  beauty  which  we  gener- 
ally find  in  forms  of  a  contrary  kind."  —  The  mis- 
take here  committed  is  in  supposing  the  beauty  of 
the  myrtle  to  depend  on  its  angularity,  instead 
of  its  being  evergreen,  fragrant,  and  suggesting, 
pleasures  of  association. 

"  How  much  more  beautiful,"  he  says,  "  is  the 
rose-tree  when  its  buds  begin  to  blow,  than  after- 
ward, when  its  flowers  are  full  and  in  their  greatest 
perfection !  yet,  in  this  first  situation,  its  form  has 
much  less  winding  surface,  and  is  much  more  com- 
posed of  straight  lines  and  of  angles,  than  afterward, 
when  the  weight  of  the  flower  weighs  down  the 
feeble  branches,  and  describes  the  easiest  and  most 
varied  curves." — But  he  answers  himself  by  ad- 
ding :  "  The  circumstance  of  its  youth,  a  circum- 
stance in  all  cases  so  affecting,  the  delicacy  of  its 
blossom,  so  well  expressed  by  the  care  which 
Nature  has  taken  in  surrounding  the  opening  bud 
with  leaves,  prevail  so  much  upon  our  imagination, 


THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEAI7TY.  93 

that  we  behold  the  form  itself  with  more  delight  in 
this  situation  than  afterward,  when  it  assumes  the 
more  general  form  of  delicacy." 

"  There  are  few  things  in  the  vegetable  world," 
he  says,  "  more  beautiful  than  the  knotted  and 
angular  stem  of  the  balsam,  merely  from  its  sin- 
gular transparency,  which  it  is  impossible  to  look 
at  without  a  strong  impression  of  the  fineness  and 
delicacy  of  the  vegetable."  —  But  it.  is  its  transpa- 
rency, not  its  angularity,  that  is  beautiful. 

The  beauty  of  color  is  not  less  conspicuous  than 
that  of  form  in  this  class  of  beings. 


SECTION  III. 

ELIJTENTS   OF  BEAUTY  IN  THINKING  BEINGS. 

I  HAVE  next  to  show  that,  in  thinking  beings, 
while  the  characters  of  inanimate,  and  those  of 
living  beauty,  are  still  more  or  less  continued,  new 
characteristics  are  also  added  to  them. 

I.  In  animals,  accordingly,  the  bones  bear  a 
close  analogy  to  the  wood  of  plants.  They  gen- 
erally assume  the  same  rounded  form ;  but,  as 
thinking  beings  are  necessarily  moving  ones, 
their  bones  are  hollow  to  combine  lightness  with 
strength,  and  they  are  separated  by  joints  to  permit 
flexion  and  extension. 

II.  As  animals,  like  plants,  grow  and  reproduce, 
a  portion  of  their  general  organization,  their  vas- 


^. 


94  THE    ELEMENTS   OF    BEATTTf. 

cular  system,  which  serves  the  purpose  of  ^owth 
and  reproduction,  consists,  like  plants,  of  trunks, 
branches,  &c. ;  and  the  surface  of  their  bodies,  the 
skin,  is  formed  by  a  tissue  of  these  vessels.  Ac- 
cordingly, both  the  vessels  themselves,  and  the 
tissue  which  they  form,  present  the  delicacy,  the 
bending,  the  variety,  and  the  contrast,  which  are 
the  characters  of  the  preceding  species  of  beauty. 

The  undulating  and  serpentine  lines  which  art 
seeks  always  to  design  in  its  most  beautiful  pro- 
ductions, exist  in  greater  number  at  the  surface  of 
the  human  body  than  at  that  of  any  other  animal. 
Wherever,  as  Hogarth  observes,  "  for  the  sake  of 
the  necessary  motion  of  the  parts,  with  proper 
strength  and  agility,  the  insertions  of  the  muscles 
are  too  hard  and  sudden,  their  swellings  too  bold, 
or  the  hollows  between  them  too  deep,  for  their 
outlines  to  be  beautiful ;  nature  softens  these  hard- 
nesses, and  plumps  up  these  vacancies  with  a  proper 
supply  of  fat,  and  covers  the  whole  with  the  soft, 
smooth,  springy,  and,  in  delicate  life,  almost  trans- 
parent skin,  which,  conforming  itself  to  the  external 
shape  of  all  the  parts  beneath,  expresses  to  the  eye 
the  idea  of  its  contents  with  the  utmost  delicacy 
of  beauty  and  grace." 

It  is  principally  in  the  features  of  the  face,  as  has 
often  been  observed,  and  on  the  surface  of  the  torso 
and  of  the  members  of  a  beautiful  woman,  that  these 
delicate,  bending,  varied,  and  contrasted  lines  are 
multiplied  :  by  their  imion,  they  mark  the  outlines 
of  different  parts,  as  in  the  region  of  the  neck,  of 
the  bosom,  at  the  shoulders,  on  the  surface  of  the 


THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEAUTY.  95 

abdomen,  on  the  sides,  and  principally  in  the  gradual 
transitions  from  the  head  to  the  neck,  and  from  the 
loins  to  the  inferior  extremities. 

These  lines  vary  under  different  circumstances  j 
much  enbonpoint  producing  round  lines,  and  lean- 
ness or  old  age  producing  straight  ones. 

Woman  and  man  stand  pre-eminent  among  ani- 
mals as  to  this  kind  of  beauty ;  and  to  them  succeed 
the  swifter  animals,  as  the  horse,  the  stag,  &c. 

The  animals,  on  the  contrary,  of  which  the  sur- 
face presents  right  lines  and  square  forms,  are  cor- 
respondingly deprived  of  beauty ;  as  the  toad,  the 
hog,  and  all  the  animals  which  seem  to  us  ugly. 

In  all  animals,  also,  the  beauty  of  color,  even 
when  slightly  varied,  becomes  extremely  interest- 
ing.—  In  human  beauty,  considerable  variety  is 
produced  by  the  different  shades  of  the  skin- 
Such,  indeed,  is  the  variety  resulting  from  all 
this,  that  some  degree  even  of  intricacy  is  pro- 
duced. The  undulating  lines  which  cross  in  every 
direction,  and  the  tortuous  paths  of  the  eye,  are 
the  means  of  an  agreeable  complication. 

Hence  Burke,  following  Hogarth,  says :  "  Observe 
that  part  of  a  beautiful  woman  where  she  is  perhaps 
the  most  beautiful,  about  the  neck  and  breasts :  the 
smoothness,  the  softness,  the  easy  and  insensible 
swell,  the  variety  of  the  surface,  which  is  never  for 
the  smallest  space  the  same,  the  deceitful  maze, 
through  which  the  unsteady  eye  slides  giddily, 
without  knowing  where  to  fix,  or  whither  it  is 
carried.  Is  not  this  a  demonstration  of  that  change 
of  surface,  continual,  and  yet  hardly  perceptible  at 


96  THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

any  point,  which  forms  one  of  the  great  constitu- 
ents of  beauty  % 

The  hair  affords  an  excellent  instance  of  this 
agreeable  complication.  Soft  curls  agitated  by  the 
wind  have  been  the  theme  of  every  poet.  And  yet, 
says  Hogarth,  "  to  show  how  excess  ought  to  be 
avoided  in  intricacy,  as  well  as  in  every  other  prin- 
ciple, the  very  same  head  of  hair,  wisped  and  mat- 
ted together,  would  make  the  most  disagreeable 
figure  ;  because  the  eye  would  be  perplexed,  and 
at  a  fault,  and  unable  to  trace  such  a  confused 
number  of  uncomposed  and  entangled  lines." 

III.  But  animals  have  a  higher  system  of  organs 
and  functions  which  peculiarly  distinguishes  them, 
and  which  presents  new  and  peculiar  characteris- 
tics of  beauty.  This  consists  of  the  organs  by 
which  they  receive  impressions  from,  and  react 
upon  the  objects  around  them  —  the  first  organs 
which  Nature  presents  having  altogether  external 
relations,  and  the  first,  consequently,  in  which  we 
look  for  fitness  for  any  purpose. 

The  importance  of  fitness  to  the  beauty  of  such 
objects  is  learned  imperceptibly.  Lines  and  forms, 
though  the  most  elegant,  fail  to  please  us,  if  ill 
distributed  in  this  respect :  and  objects,  to  a  great 
extent  destitute  of  the  other  characters  of  natural 
beauty,  become  beautiful  when  regarded  in  relation 
to  fitness.  Thus  would  this  sense  appear  to  be  so 
powerful,  as  in  some  measure  to  regulate  our  oth- 
er perceptions  of  beauty. 

It  is  fitness  which  leads  us  to  admire  in  one  ani- 
mal, what  would  displease  us  if  found  in  another. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OP  BEAUTY.  97 

"  The  variety,"  says  Barry,  "  and  union  of  parts, 
which  we  call  heautiful  in  a  greyhound,  are  pleas- 
ing in  consequence  of  the  idea  of  agility  which  they 
convey.  In  other  animals,  less  agility  is  united 
with  more  strength ;  and,  indeed,  all  the  different 
arrangements  please  because  they  indicate  either 
different  qualities,  different  degrees  of  qualities,  or 
the  different  combinations  of  them." 

In  relation  to  the  various  fitness  of  the  human 
body,  the  same  writer  says :  "  We  should  not  in- 
crease the  beauty  of  the  female  bosom,  by  the  ad- 
dition of  another  protuberance  ;  and  the  exquisite 
undulating  transitions  from  the  convex  to  the  con- 
cave tendencies,  could  not  be  multiplied  with  any 
success.  In  fine,  our  rule  for  judging  of  the  mode 
and  degree  of  this  combination  of  variety  and  unity, 
seems  to  be  no  other  than  that  of  its  fitness  and 
conformity  to  the  designation  of  each  species." 

But  it  is  less  necessary  for  me  to  adduce  author- 
ities in  support  of  this  truth,  than  to  answer  the 
objections  that  have  been  made  to  it  by  some  of 
the  ablest  writers  on  the  subject  —  objections  which 
have  generally  their  origin  in  the  narrow  views 
which  these  men  have  taken,  and  in  those  partial 
hypotheses  which,  even  when  true,  led  them  to 
reject  all  other  truth. 

"  It  is  said,"  observes  Burke,  "that  the  idea  of  a 
part's  being  well  adapted  to  answer  its  end,  is  one 
cause  of  beauty,  or  indeed  beauty  itself.  ...  In 
framing  this  theory,  I  am  apprehensive  that  expe- 
rience was  not  sufficiently  consulted.  For,  on  that 
principle,  the  wedgelike  snout  of  a  swine  with  its 
9 


98  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTV. 

tough  cartilage  at  the  end,  the  little  sunk  eyes,  and 
the  whole  make  of  the  head,  so  well  adapted  to  its 
offices  of  digging  and  rooting,  would  be  extremely 
beautiful." — And  so  they  are,  when  the  beauty  of 
fitness  for  their  purpose  is  considered ;  but  that 
purpose  being  the  mere  growth  and  fattening  of 
an  animal  of  sensual  and  dirty  habits,  it  is  a  fallacy 
to  represent  this,  without  explanation,  as  a  fair 
proof  of  the  absence  of  connexion  between  fitness 
and  beauty. 

"  If  beauty  in  our  species,"  says  the  same  writer, 
"  was  annexed  to  use,  men  would  be  much  more 
lovely  than  women  ;  and  strength  and  agility  would 
be  considered  as  the  only  beauties." — Burke  was 
a  stringer  of  fine  words,  not  for  woman,  but  for 
queens,  when  that  served  a  selfish  and  venal  pur- 
pose. The  sentence  just  quoted  shows  that  his 
gallantry  was  as  ignorant  as  it  was  mean.  He  here 
asserts  by  implication  that  women  are  less  useful 
than  men,  although  it  is  to  women  that  the  care  of 
the  whole  human  race,  during  its  most  helpless 
years,  is  committed,  and  although  they  take  upon 
themselves  all  that  half  of  the  duties  of  life  which 
men  are  as  little  capable  of  performing,  as  women 
are  of  performing  the  portion  suited  to  men. 

"  And,"  says  he,  "  I  appeal  to  the  first  and  most 
natural  feelings  of  mankind,  whether,  on  beholding 
a  beautiful  eye,  or  a  well-fashioned  mouth,  or  a 
well-turned  leg,  any  ideas  of  their  being  well  fitted 
for  seeing,  eating,  or  running,  ever  present  them- 
selves."— Is  running,  then,  the  proper  use  of  the 
leg  in  woman !     Rousseau  more  truly  thought  its 


THE  ELEMENTS  0¥   BEAUTY.  99 

use  was  to  fail  in  running,  or  noi  to  run !  Is  eating 
the  only  use  of  her  mouth !  This,  too  from  the 
man  who  deplored  that  "  the  age  of  chivalry  was 
gone!"  —  Nevertheless,  L  will  venture  to  assert 
that  such  things  never  were  and  never  will  he  seen, 
without  suggesting  ideas  of  fitness  of  some  kind 
or  other, 

"  There  is,"  he  proceeds,  "  another  notion  cur- 
rent, pretty  closely  allied  to  the  former  ;  that  per- 
fection is  the  constituent  cause  of  beauty.  This 
opinion  has  been  made  to  extend  much  farther  than 
to  sensible  objects.  But  in  these,  so  far  is  perfec- 
tion, considered  as  such,  from  being  the  cause  of 
beauty,  that  this  quality,  where  it  is  highest  in  the 
female  sex,  almost  always  carries  with  it  an  idea  of 
weakness  and  imperfection."-  —  For  this  plain  rea- 
son, that  female  perfection  is  utterly  incompatible 
with  great  muscular  perfection  or  strength,  which 
would  indeed  be  injurious  to  the  performance  of 
every  feminine  function. 

We  may  now  advance  another  step  in  the  subject 
under  discussion.  What,  then,  are  the  peculiar 
physical  characters  of  beings  thus  possessing  sense 
and  motion,  and  thus  characterized  by  fitness  1 

"  It  must  be  remembered,"  says  Knight,  "  that 
irregularity  is  the  general  characteristic  of  trees, 
and  regularity  that  of  animals."  —  It  would  have 
been  more  correct  to  say  that  symmetry  is  this 
peculiar  characteristic.  There  is  little  resemblance 
between  the  parts  of  one  side  ;  and  it  is  symmetry 
which  results  from  the  uniform  disposition  of  double 
parts,  and  from  the  regular  division  of  single  ones, 


100         THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAFTT. 

Hence  an  agreeable  impression  is  produced  by 
the  corresponding  disposition  and  the  exact  resem- 
blance of  the  eyes,  of  the  eyebrows,  of  the  ears,  of 
the  hemispheres  of  the  bosom,  and  of  the  different 
parts  of  which  the  limbs  are  composed ;  and  the 
forehead,  the  nose,  the  mouth,  the  abdomen,  the 
back,  are  agreeably  distinguished  by  means  of  the 
median  line  which  divides  them. 

It  appears  that  the  eye  is  pleased  by  the  exact- 
ness of  corresponding  parts  j  and  that  symmetry''  is 
the  first  character  of  beauty  in  thinking  beings. 

Occasional  irregularity  makes  us  better  appre- 
ciate the  importance  of  symmetry.  The  oblique 
direction  of  the  eyes,  squinting,  twisting  of  the 
nose  or  lips,  unequal  magnitude  of  the  hemispheres 
of  the  bosom,  or  unequal  length  of  the  limbs,  dis- 
figure the  most  beautiful  person. 

But  how  does  symmetry  contribute  to  fitness,  or 
why  is  it  necessary  1 

"  All  our  limbs  and  organs,"  says  Payne  Knight, 
"  serve  us  in  pairs,  and  by  mutual  co-operation  with 
each  other :  whence  the  habitual  association  of 
ideas  has  taught  us  to  consider  this  uniformity  as 
indispensable  to  the  beauty  and  perfection  of  the 
animal  form.  There  is  no  reason  to  be  deduced 
from  any  abstract  consideration  of  the  nature  of 
things,  why  an  animal  should  be  more  ugly  and 
disgusting  for  having  only  one  eye,  or  one  ear, 
than  for  having  only  one  nose  or  one  mouth ;  yet 
if  we  were  to  meet  with  a  beast  with  one  eye,  or 
two  noses,  or  two  mouths,  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
we  should,  without  inquiry,  decide  it  to  be  a  mon- 


THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEATTTY.  101 

ster,  and  turn  from  it  with  abhorrence  :  neither  is 
there  any  reason,  in  the  nature  of  things,  why  a 
strict  parity,  or  relative  equality,  in  the  correspond- 
ent limbs  and  features  of  a  man  or  a  horse,  should 
be  absolutely  essential  to  beauty,  and  absolutely 
destructive  of  it  in  the  roots  and  branches  of  a  tree- 
But,  nevertheless,  the  Creator  having  formed  the 
one  regular,  and  the  other  irregular,  we  habitually 
associate  ideas  of  regularity  to  the  perfection  of 
one,  and  ideas  of  irregularity  to  the  perfection  of 
the  other  j  and  this  habit  has  been  so  unvaried,  as 
to  have  become  natural." 

This  is  the  common  cant  of  every  weak  man  at  loss 
for  a  reason.  Now,  it  is  not  by  any  "habitual  asso- 
ciation" with  "  our  limbs  and  organs  serving  us  in 
pairs,"  that  we  are"  taught  to  consider  this  uniform- 
ity indispensable  to  beauty,"  but  because,  independ- 
ent of  all  association,  we  could  not  conveniently 
walk  upon  one  leg,  or,  indeed,  on  any  unequal  num- 
ber of  legs :  and  there  being  two  sides  in  the  moving 
organs,  there  are  necessarily  two  in  the  sensitive 
organs,  which  are  mere  portions  of  the  same  gen- 
eral system.  Thus  it  is  locomotion  to  be  perform- 
ed that  renders  "  a  strict  parity,  or  relative  equal- 
ity, in  the  correspondent  limbs  and  features  of  a 
man  or  a  horse"  absolutely  essential  to  beauty ; 
and  it  is  the  absence  of  locomotion  which  renders 
it  utterly  worthless,  and  therefore  very  rare,  in 
"  the  roots  and  branches  of  a  tree." 

In  animals,  proportion  is  not  less  essential  than 
symmetry.  It  is  indeed  the  second  character  of 
this  kind  of  beauty.     As  this  part  of  the  subject 


102  THE   ELEMENTS   OF   BEATTTT. 

has  been  perfectly  well  treated  by  Mr.  Alison,  I 
need  only  quote  what  he  has  said :  — 

"  It  is  this  expression  of  fitness  which  is,  I  ap- 
prehend, the  source  of  the  beauty  of  what  is  strict- 
ly and  properly  called  proportion  in  the  parts  of 
the  human  form. 

"  We  expect  a  different  form,  and  a  different 
conformation  of  limbs,  in  a  running  footman  and 
a  waterman,  in  a  ^vrestler  and  a  racing  groom,  in  a 
shepherd  and  a  sailor,  &c. 

"  They  who  are  conversant  in  the  productions 
of  the  fine  arts,  must  have  equally  observed,  that 
the  forms  and  proportions  of  features,  which  the 
sculptor  and  the  painter  have  given  to  their  works, 
are  very  different,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
character  they  represent,  and  the  emotion  they 
wish  to  excite.  The  form  or  proportions  of  the 
features  of  Jove  are  different  from  those  of  Her- 
cules ;  those  of  Apollo,  from  those  of  Ganymede ; 
those  of  the  Fawn,  from  those  of  the  Gladiator. 
In  female  beauty,  the  form  and  proportions  in  the 
features  of  Juno  are  very  different  from  those  of 
Venus ;  those  of  Minerva,  from  those  of  Diana ; 
those  of  Niobe,  from  those  of  the  Graces.  All, 
however,  are  beautiful ;  because  all  are  adapted 
with  exquisite  taste  to  the  characters  they  wish 
the  countenance  to  express." 

In  "  the  Hercules  and  the  Antinous,  the  Jupiter 
and  the  Apollo,  we  find  that  not  only  the  propor- 
tions of  the  form,  but  those  of  every  limb,  are 
different ;  and  that  the  pleasure  we  feel  in  these 
proportions  arises  from  their  exquisite  fitness  for^ 


THE   ELEMENTS   OF  BEATTTY.  303 

the  physical  ends  which  the  artists  were  consult- 
ing, 

"  The  illustration,  however,  may  be  made  still 
more  precise  ;  for,  even  in  the  same  countenance, 
and  in  the  same  hour,  the  same  form  of  feature 
may  be  beautiful  or  otherwise." 


SECTION  IV. 

KUBHEVTS  OF  BEAUTY  AS  EUFLOTED  IS  OBJECTS  Or  ABT. 

I  DIVIDE  the  arts  into  the  useful,  the  ornamental, 
and  the  intellectual,  commonly  called  the  fine  arts; 
and  I  shall  endeavor  to  show,  that  the  objects  of 
each  of  these  are  characterized  by  a  peculiar  kind 
of  beauty,  corresponding  to  one  of  those  already 
described. 

I  shall  endeavor  to  show  that  the  objects  of  the 
useful  arts  are  characterized  by  the  simple  geo- 
metrical forms  which  belong  to  inanimate  beings ; 
that  those  of  the  ornamental  arts  are  characterized 
by  the  delicate,  bending,  varied,  and  contrasted 
forms  of  living  beings  ;  and  that  those  of  the  in- 
tellectual arts  are,  in  their  highest  efforts,  charac- 
terized chiefly  by  thinking  forms,  as  in  gesture, 
sculpture,  painting,  or  by  functions  of  mind  actu- 
ally exercised,  in  oratory,  poetry,  music. 

In  all  these  arts,  purpose  is  implied — not  pur- 
pose in  the  hypothetical  sense,  as  applied  to  the 
existence,  conditions,  and  objects,  of  natural  be- 


104)  THE    ELEMENTS   OF   BEAUTY. 

ings  —  but  in  the  common  intelligible  sense  of  the 
word,  as  expressing  the  intention  of  men  in  the 
pursuit  of  these  arts. 

Beauty  of  Useful  Objects. 

Here  the  purpose  being  utility,  this  kind  of 
beauty  arises  from  the  perception  of  means  as 
adapted  to  an  end,  which  of  course  implies,  the 
parts  of  anything  being  fitted  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose of  the  whole. 

This  implies  an  act  of  understanding  and  judg- 
ment ;  for  of  no  product  of  useful  art  can  we  per- 
ceive the  extrinsic  beauty,  until  we  know  its  des- 
tination, and  the  relations  which  that  involves. 

When  these  are  known,  so  powerful  is  the  sense 
of  utility,  that,  though  deviation  from  the  element- 
ary beauty  never  ceases  to  be  felt,  yet  that  sense 
sanctions  it  to  a  great  extent.  Hence  it  is  that  an 
irregular  dwelling-house  may  become  beautiful, 
when  its  convenience  is  striking.  Hence  it  is  that, 
in  the  forms  of  furniture,  machines,  and  instru- 
ments, their  beauty  arises  chiefly  from  this  consid- 
eration ;  and  that  every  form  becomes  beautiful 
by  association,  Avhere  it  is  perfectly  adapted  to  its 
end. 

The  greater,  however,  the  elementary  beauty, 
that  can  be  introduced  in  useful  objects,  the  more 
obvious  will  their  utility  be,  and  the  more  beautiful 
will  they  universally  appear.  This  will  be  granted 
the  moment  I  mention  simplicity. 

Of  all  the  elements  of  beauty  already  spoken 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEATTTY.  105 

of — of  all  the  means  of  producing  accordant  and 
agreeable  relations  —  simplicity  appears  to  be  the 
most  efficient ;  and  in  all  the  useful  arts,  no  ele- 
mentary consideration  recommends  their  objects 
so  much. 

This  implies  all  the  rest,  regularity,  uniformity, 
proportion,  order,  &c.,  as  far  as  is  compatible  with 
purpose. 

Thus,  in  regard  to  uniformity,  says  some  one, 
a  number  of  things  destined  for  the  same  purpose, 
as  chairs,  spoons,  &c.,  cannot  be  too  uniform,  be- 
cause they  are  adapted  to  uniform  purposes  ;  but 
it  would  be  absurd  to  give  to  objects  destined  for 
one  purpose  the  form  suited  to  those  destined  for 
another. 

So  also  the  objects  of  useful  art  will  resemble  in 
form  precisely  as  they  resemble  in  purpose  ;  and 
where  the  purpose  is  similar,  and  the  deviation 
which  is  admissible  is  slight,  this  becomes  a  sub- 
ject of  great  nicety,  and,  if  ornament  be  at  the 
same  time  admissible,  a  subject  of  exquisite  taste. 

It  was  by  the  transcendent  exercise  of  these 
qualities,  that  the  Greeks  succeeded  in  fixing  the 
orders  of  architecture.  The  most  beautiful  col- 
umns would  have  shocked  the  sight,  if  their  mass 
had  not  corresponded  to  that  of  the  edifice  which 
they  sustained ;  and  the  diffisrence  which  existed 
in  this  respect,  required  a  difference  of  ornament. 

Home  indeed  observes,  that  "  writers  on  archi- 
tecture insist  much  upon  the  proportions  of  a  col- 
umn, and  assign  different  proportions  to  the  Doric, 
Ionic,  and  Corinthian }  but  no  architect  will  main- 


106  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTV. 

tain,  that  the  most  accurate  proportions  contribute 
more  to  use,  than  several  that  are  less  accurate 
and  less  agreeable." 

That  such  a  man  should  have  committed  such 
an  error  is  surprising.  It  seems  evident  that  the 
different  proportion  in  the  columns  of  these  orders 
is  admirably  suited  to  the  different  quantity  of  mat- 
ter in  their  entablatures.  A  greater  superincum- 
bent mass,  required  shorter  and  thicker  columns ; 
a  less  superincumbent  mass,  longer  and  slender 
ones.  Many  experiments,  much  observation,  were 
requisite  to  determine  this ;  but  the  Greeks  had 
the  means  of  making  them,  and  solved  every  prob- 
lem on  the  subject ;  and  the  result  of  the  perfec- 
tion they  attained  is,  that  all  err  who  depart  from 
the  truth  they  have  determined. 

It  was,  again,  the  differing  quantities  of  matter 
in  the  entablatures,  and  the  accurately-correspond- 
ing dimensions  of  the  columns  that  determined,  of 
course  amid  infinite  experiment  and  observation, 
the  nature  of  their  ornaments.  Hence,  the  Doric 
is  distinguished  by  simplicity ;  the  Ionic  by  ele- 
gance ;  and  the  Corinthian  by  lightness,  in  orna- 
ment as  well  as  in  proportion. 

Even,  therefore,  if  we  were  to  destroy  all  the 
associations  of  elegance,  of  magnificence,  of  cost- 
liness, and,  still  more  than  all,  of  antiquity,  which 
are  so  strongly  connected  with  such  forms,  the 
pleasure  which  their  proportions  would  afford, 
would  remain,  as  in  all  cases  where  means  are  best 
adapted  to  their  end. 

In  his  objections  to  proportion  as  an  element  pf 


!rJlE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAtTTY.  107 

"beauty,  Burke  only  confounds  this  kind  of  beauty 
with  that  which  I  have  next  to  describe. 

"  The  effects  of  proportion  and  fitness,"  he  says, 
"  at  least  so  far  as  they  proceed  from  a  mere  con- 
sideration of  the  work  itself,  produce  approbation, 
the  acquiescence  of  the  understanding,  but  not 
love,  nor  any  passion  of  that  species.  When  we 
examine  the  structure  of  a  watch,  when  we  come 
to  know  thoroughly  the  use  of  every  part  of  it, 
satisfied  as  we  are  Avith  the  fitness  of  the  whole, 
we  are  far  enough  from  perceiving  anything  like 
beauty  in  the  watchwork  itself  j  but  lei  us  look  on 
the  case,  the  labor  of  some  curious  artist  in  en- 
grsiving,  with  little  or  no  idea  of  use,  we  shall  have 
a  much  livelier  idea  of  beauty  than  we  ever  could 
have  had  from  the  watch  itself,  though  the  master- 
piece of  Graham." 

It  is  an  emotion  of  pleasure  which  is  the  inevi- 
table result  of  the  perception  of  beauty,  not  love, 
nor  any  passion  of  the  kind.  These  will  or  will 
not  follow,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  object, 
and  of  the  mind  of  the  observer.  A  hill,  a  valley, 
or  a  rivulet,  may  be  beautiful,  and  it  will  excite  an 
emotion  of  pleasure  when  its  beauty  is  discerned ; 
but  it  may  produce  no  desire  or  passion  of  love. 
There  may  exist,  then,  the  beauty  of  utility,  as  to 
the  structure  of  the  watch,  and  that  of  ornament 
as  tQ  its  case  ;  and  some  minds  will  more  readily 
perceive  the  one  ;  others,  the  other. 

When  Burke  adds,  "  In  beauty,  the  effect  is  pre- 
vious to  any  knowledge  of  the  use  ;  but  to  judge 
of  proportion,  we  must  know  the  end  for  which 


108  THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEATTTY. 

any  work  is  designed  j"  he  forgets,  that,  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  barber's  block,  &c.,  he  showed  that 
the  perception  of  beauty,  as  well  as  proportion, 
required  observation,  experience,  and  reflection. 

Beauty  of  Ornamental  Objects. 

There  are  three  great  arts  which,  under  circum- 
stances of  high  civilization,  become  ornamental, 
namely,  landscape-gardening,  architecture,  and 
dress  —  the  particular  arts  by  which  our  persons 
are  more  or  less  closely  invested  ;*  and  all  of  them, 
then,  require  beauty  of  the  second  kind,  that  which 
belongs  particularly  to  vegetable  beings,  and  is 
characterized  by  delicate,  bending  varied,  and  con- 
trasted forms. 

All  these,  regarded  as  ornamental  arts,  have 
chiefly  bodily  and  sensual  pleasures  for  their  pur- 
pose ;  and  this  I  consider  as  distinguishing  them 
from  the  intellectual  arts,  which  have  a  higher  pur- 
pose. 

Of  landscape-gardening,  the  materials  are  plants, 
and  therefore  its  beauty  is  evidently  dependant  on, 
or  rather  composed  of,  theirs. 

The  same  kind  of  beauty  will  be  found  in  every 
ornamental  art.  Hence,  Alison  says  :  "  The  greater 
part  of  beautiful  forms  in  nature,  are  to  be  found 
in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  in  the  forms  of  flowers, 
of  foliage,  of  shrubs,  and  in  those  assumed  by  the 


*  The  common  character  of  these  arts  has  been  overlooked. 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.         109 

young  shoots  of  trees.  It  is  from  them,  accord- 
ingly, that  almost  all  those  forms  have  been  imi- 
tated, which  have  been  employed  by  artists  for  the 
purposes  of  ornament  and  elegance." 

On  this  kind  of  beauty,  mistaking  it  for  the  only 
one,  Hogarth  founded  his  peculiar  doctrine.  "He 
adopts  tvA'o  lines,  on  which,  according  to  him,  the 
beauty  of  figure  principally  depends.  One  is  the 
waving  line,  or  a  curve  bending  gently  in  opposite 
directions.  This  he  calls  the  line  of  beauty ;  and 
he  shows  how  often  it  is  found  in  flowers,  shells, 
and  various  works  of  nature  ;  while  it  is  common 
also  in  the  figures  designed  by  painters  and  sculp- 
tors, for  the  purpose  of  decoration.  The  other 
line,  which  he  calls  the  line  of  grace,  is  the  for- 
mer waving  line,  twisted  round  some  solid  body. 
Twisted  pillars  and  twisted  horns  exhibit  it.  In  all 
the  instances  which  he  mentions,  variety  plainly 
appears  to  be  so  important  an  element  of  this  kind 
of  beauty,  that  he  states  a  portion  of  the  truth, 
when  he  defines  the  art  of  drawing  pleasing  forms 
to  be  the  art  of  varying  well ;  for  the  curve  line,  so 
much  the  favorite  of  painters,  derives  much  of  its 
beauty  from  its  perpetual  bending  and  variation 
from  the  stiff  regularity  of  the  straight  line."  It 
is  evident,  however,  that  in  this,  he  mistakes  one 
kind  of  beauty  for  all. 

Of  architecture,  considered  as  a  fine  art,  much 
of  the  beauty  depends  on  the  imitation  of  vegetable 
forms.  Employing  materials  which  require  the 
best  characteristics  of  the  first  kind  of  beauty,  it, 
in  its  choicest  and  ornamented  parts,  imitates  both 
10 


110  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

the  rigid  trunks,  and  the  delicate  and  hending 
forms  of  plants.  Its  columns,  tapering  upward, 
are  copied  from  the  trunks  of  trees  ;  and  their  dec- 
orations are  suited  with  consummate  art  to  their 
dimensions,  and  the  weight  they  support.  The 
simple  Doric  has  little  ornament ;  the  elegant  Ionic 
has  more  ;  the  light  Corinthian  has  most. 

On  the  subject  of  these  finely-calculated  orna- 
ments, some  observations  have  struck  me,  which  I 
have  not  seen  mentioned  elsewhere.  The  Doric 
presents  only  columns,  without  any  other  orna- 
ment than  that  of  which  their  mere  form  admits. 
The  Ionic  expresses  increased  lightness,  by  the 
interposition  of  its  volute,  as  if  the  superincumbent 
weight  had  but  gently  pressed  a  soft  solid  into  a 
scroll.  The  Corinthian  expresses  the  utmost  light- 
ness, by  forming  its  capitals  of  foliage,  as  if  the 
W'eight  above  them  could  not  crush  even  a  leaf. 
The  Composite  expresses  gayety,  by  adding  flow- 
ers to  the  foliage.  It  is  from  imperfect  views  of 
this,  that  the  meaning  and  effect  of  caryatides  have 
been  mistaken :  instead  of  being  oppressed  by 
weight,  they  seem,  when  well  employed,  to  have 
no  weight  to  support. 

In  nearly  all  internal  architectural  decorations, 
it  is  the  delicate,  bending,  varied,  and  contrasted 
vegetable  forms  which  are  imitated. 

"  There  is  scarce  a  room,  in  any  house  what- 
ever," says  Hogarth,  "  where  one  does  not  see  the 
waving  line  employed  in  some  way  or  other.  How 
inelegant  would  the  shapes  of  all  our  moveables  be 
without  it  1    how  very  plain  and  unornamental  the 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEATTTY.  Ill 

mouldings  of  cornices  and  cliimney-pieces,  without 
the  variety  introduced  by  the  ogee  member,  which 
is  entirely  composed  of  waving  lines." 

The  distinctions  I  have  here  made,  are  farther 
illustrated  by  the  remarks  of  Alison,  who  says : 
*'  These  ornaments  being  executed  in  a  very  hard 
and  durable  substance,  are  in  fact  only  beautiful 
when  they  appear  but  as  minute  parts  of  the  whole. 
The  great  constituent  parts  of  every  building  re- 
quire direct  and  angular  lines,  because  in  such 
parts  we  require  the  expression  of  stability  and 
strength.  It  is  only  in  the  minute  and  delicate 
parts  of  the  work,  that  any  kind  of  ornament  is 
attempted  with  propriety ;  and  whenever  orna- 
ments exceed  in  size,  in  their  quantity  of  matter, 
or  in  the  prominence  of  their  relief,  that  proportion 
which,  in  point  of  lightness  or  delicacy,  we  expect 
them  to  hold  with  respect  to  the  whole  of  the 
building,  the  imitation  of  the  most  beautiful  vege- 
table forms  does  not  preserve  them  from  the  cen- 
sure of  clumsiness  and  deformity." 

In  dress,  considered  as  an  ornamental  art,  and,  as 
practised  by  the  sex  which  chiefly  studies  it,  the 
chief  beauty  depends  on  the  adoption  of  winding 
forms  in  drapery,  and  of  wreaths  of  flowers  for  the 
head,  &c.  These  are  essential  to  the  variety  and 
contrast,  as  well  as  to  the  gayety  which  that  sex 
desires. 

"Uniformity,"  says  Hogarth,  "is  chiefly  complied 
with  in  dress,  on  account  of  fitness,  and  seems  to 
be  extended  not  much  farther  than  dressing  both 
arms  alike,  and  having  the  shoes  of  the  same  color. 


112  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 

For  when  any  pan  of  dress  has  not  the  excuse  of 
fitness  or  propriety  for  its  uniformity  of  parts,  the 
ladies  always  call  it  formal." 

These  irregular,  varying,  and  somewhat  compli- 
cated draperies  excite  that  active  curiosity,  and 
those  movements  of  imagination,  to  which  skilful 
w^omen  never  neglect  to  address  themselves  in 
modern  costume. 

It  is  with  the  same  feeling  and  intention,  whether 
these  be  defined  or  not,  that,  in  the  head-dress,  they 
seek  for  bending  lines  and  circumvolutions,  and 
that  they  combine  variously  the  waves  and  the 
tresses  of  the  hair. 

For  the  same  reason,  a  feather  or  a  flower  is 
never  placed  precisely  over  the  middle  of  the  fore- 
head ;  and  if  two  are  employed,  great  care  is  taken 
that  their  positions  are  dissimilar. 

It  has  sometimes  struck  me  as  remarkable,  that 
precious  stones  are  almost  always  arranged  differ- 
ently from  flowers.  While  the  latter  are  placed 
irregularly,  and  in  waving  lines,  not  only  on  the 
head,  but  the  bosom,  and  the  skirt  of  the  dress,  the 
former  are  in  general  regularly  placed,  either  on 
the  median  line  of  the  person,  as  the  middle  of  the 
forehead  and,  in  Eastern  countries,  of  the  nose,  or 
symmetrically  in  similar  pendants  from  each  ear, 
and  bracelets  on  the  arms  and  WTists. 

The  instinctive  feeling  which  gives  origin  to  this 
is,  that  flowers  adorn  the  system  of  life  and  repro- 
duction, and  by  their  color  and  smell,  associate 
with  its  emotions,  which  they  also  express  and 
communicate  to  others  —  they,  therefore,  assume 


THE    ELEMEIhTS    of    BEAUTY.  113 

the  varied  forms  of  that  system ;  whereas,  dia- 
monds, attached  generally  to  mental  organs,  or  or- 
gans of  sense,  are  significant  of  mental  feelings,' 
love  of  splendor,  distinction,  pride,  &c.  —  they, 
therefore,  assume  the  symmetrical  form  of  these 
organs.  Hence,  too,  flowers  are  recommended  to 
the  young  ;  diamonds  are  permitted  only  to  the  old. 

Beauty  of  Intellectual  Objects. 

I  have  already  said,  that  the  intellectual  arts  are, 
in  their  highest  efforts,  characterized  chiefly  by  an- 
imal forms,  as  in  gesture,  sculpture,  and  painting, 
or  by  animal  functions  actually  exercised,  in  ora- 
tory, poetry^  and  music. 

In  the  useful  arts,  the  purpose  is  utility ;  in  the 
ornamental  arts,  it  is  bodily  or  sensual  pleasure ; 
and  in  the  intellectual  arts,  it  is  the  pleasure  of 
imagination. 

The  first  elements  of  beauty,  however,  are  not 
forgotten  in  these  arts.  As  simplicity  is  conspic- 
uous in  the  works  of  nature,  so  is  it  a  condition  of 
beauty  in  all  the  operations  of  mind.  In  philoso- 
phy, general  theorems  become  beautiful  from  this 
simplicity ;  and  polished  manners  receive  from  it 
dignity  and  grace.  The  intellectual  arts  are  espe- 
cially dependant  upon  it :  it  has  been  a  striking 
character  of  their  most  illustrious  cultivators,  and 
of  their  very  highest  efforts. 

How  much  the  characters  and  accidents  of  ele- 
mentary beauty  influence  intellectual  art,  has  been 
well  shown  by  Mr.  Knight. 

"In  the  higher  class  of  landscapes,"  he  says, 
10* 


114  THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEAUTy"* 

"  whether  in  nature  or  in  art,  the  mere  sensual 
gratification  of  the  eye  is  comparatively  so  small, 
as  scarcely  to  be  attended  to  :  but  yet,  if  there  oc- 
cur a  single  spot,  either  in  the  scene  or  the  picture, 
offensively  harsh  and  glaring — if  the  landscape- 
gardener,  in  the  one,  or  the  picture-cleaner,  in  the 
other,  have  exerted  their  unhappy  talents  of  pol- 
ishing, all  the  magic  instantly  vanishes,  and  the 
imagination  avenges  the  injury  offered  to  the  sense. 
The  glaring  and  unharmonious  spot,  being  the  most 
prominent  and  obtrusive,  irresistibly  attracts  the 
attention,  so  as  to  interrupt  the  repose  of  the  whole, 
and  leaves  the  mind  no  place  to  rest  upon." 

"  It  is,  in  some  respects,"  he  observed,  "  the  same 
with  the  sense  of  hearing.  The  mere  sensual 
gratification,  arising  from  the  melody  of  an  actor's 
voice,  is  a  very  small  part,  indeed,  of  the  pleasure 
which  we  receive  from  the  representation  of  a  fine 
drama :  but,  nevertheless,  if  a  single  note  of  the 
voice  be  absolutely  cracked  and  out  of  tune,  so  as 
to  offend  and  disgust  the  ear,  it  will  completely 
destroy  the  effect  of  the  most  skilful  acting,  and 
render  all  the  sublimity  and  pathos  of  the  finest 
tragedy  ludicrous." 

This,  I  may  observe,  is  a  concession  of  much 
that  he  elsewhere  inconsistently  contends  for ;  for 
sensual  beauty  could  never  act  thus  powerfully,  if 
it  possessed  not  fundamental  importance  as  an  ele- 
ment even  in  the  most  complex,  beauty. 

That  the  second  kind  of  beauty  also  enters  into 
the  acts  or  products  of  intellectual  beauty,  is  suf- 
ficiently illustrated  by  the  observation  of  Hogarth, 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.         115 

I 

who  on  this  subject  observes^  that  all  the  common 
and  necessary  motions  for  the  business  of  life  are 
performed  by  men  in  straight  or  plain  lines,  while 
all  the  graceful  and  ornamental  movements  are 
made  in  waving  lines. 

As  Alison  has  given  the  best  view  of  the  history 
and  character  of  beauty  in  the  intellectual  arts,  as 
that  indeed  constitutes  the  most  valuable  portion 
of  his  work,  I  shall  conclude  this  section  by  a 
greatly  abridged  view  of  these  as  nearly  as  possible 
in  his  own  words. 

There  is  no  production  of  taste,  which  has  not 
many  qualities  of  a  very  indifferent  kind ;  and  our 
sense  of  the  beauty  or  sublimity  of  every  object 
accordingly  depends  upon  the  quality  or  qualities 
of  it  which  we  consider. 

This,  Mr.  Alison  might  have  observed,  is  in  great 
measure  dependant  upon  our  will.  We  can  gener- 
ally, when  we  please,  confine  our  consideration  of 
it  to  the  qualities  that  least  excite  pleasurable  or 
painful  emotion,  and  that  can  least  interest  the  im- 
agination. 

It  is  in  consequence  of  this,  that  the  exercise  of 
criticism  always  destroys,  for  the  time,  our  sensi- 
bility to  the  beauty  of  every  composition,  and  that 
habits  of  this  kind  generally  destroy  the  sensibility 
of  taste. 

When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  emotions  of  sub- 
limity or  beauty  are  produced,  it  will  be  found  that 
some  affection  is  uniformly  first  excited  by  the 
presence  of  the  object ;  and  whether  the  general 
impression  we  receive  is  that  of  gayety,  or  tender- 


116  THE    ELEMENTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

ness,  or  melancholy,  or  solemnity,  or  terror,  &c., 
we  have  never  any  difficulty  of  determining. 

But  whatever  may  he  the  nature  of  that  simple 
emotion  which  any  object  is  fitted  to  excite,  if  it 
produce  not  a  train  of  kindred  thought  in  our 
minds,  we  are  conscious  only  of  that  simple  emo- 
tion. 

In  many  cases,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  conscious 
of  a  train  of  thought  being  immediately  awakened 
in  the  imagination,  analogous  to  the  character  of 
expression  of  the  original  object. 

"  Thus,  when  we  feel  either  the  beauty  or  sub- 
limity of  natural  scenery  —  the  gay  lustre  of  a 
morning  in  spring,  or  the  mild  radiance  of  a  sum- 
mer-evening—  the  savage  majesty  of  a  wintry 
storm,  or  the  wild  magnificence  of  the  tempestuous 
ocean  —  we  are  conscious  of  a  variety  of  images  in 
our  minds,  very  different  from  those  which  the  ob- 
jects themselves  present  to  the  eye.  Trains  of 
pleasing  or  of  solemn  thought  arise  spontaneously 
within  our  minds ;  our  hearts  swell  with  emotions, 
of  which  the  objects  before  us  seem  to  afford  no 
adequate  cause  ;  and  we  are  never  so  much  satiated 
with  delight,  as  when,  in  recalling  our  attention,  we 
are  unable  (little  able,  perhaps,  and  less  disposed) 
to  trace  either  the  progress  or  the  connexion  of 
those  thoughts,  which  have  passed  with  so  much 
rapidity  through  our  imagination. 

"  The  efl^ect  of  the  difl^erent  arts  of  taste  is 
similar.  The  landscapes  of  Claude  Lorraine,  the 
poetry  of  Milton,  the  music  of  the  greatest  mas- 
ters, excite  feeble  emotions  in  our  minds  when  our 


THE  ELEMENTS  OP    BEAUTV.         117 

Attention  is  confined  to  the  qualities  they  present 
to  our  senses,  or  when  it  is  to  such  qualities  of 
their  composition  that  we  turn  our  regard.  It  is 
then  only  we  feel  the  sublimity  or  beauty  of  their 
productions,  when  our  imaginations  are  kindled  by 
their  power,  when  we  lose  ourselves  amid  the 
number  of  images  that  pass  before  our  minds,  and 
when  we  waken  at  last  from  this  play  of  fancy,  as 
from  the  charm  of  a  romantic  dream. 

"  The  degree  in  which  the  emotions  of  sublimity 
or  beauty  are  felt,  is  in  general  proportioned  to  the 
prevalence  of  those  relations  of  thought  in  the  mind, 
upon  which  this  exercise  of  imagination  depends. 
The  principal  relation  which  seems  to  take  place 
in  those  trains  of  thought  that  are  produced  by 
objects  of  taste,  is  that  of  resemblance  ;  the  rela- 
tion, of  all  others  the  most  loose  and  general,  and 
which  affords  the  greatest  range  of  thought  for  our 
imagination  to  pursue.  Wherever,  accordingly, 
these  emotions  are  felt,  it  will  be  found,  not  only 
that  this  is  the  relation  which  principally  prevails 
among  our  ideas,  but  that  the  emotion  itself  is 
proportioned  to  the  degree  in  which  it  prevails. 

"  What,  for  instance,  is  the  impression  we  feel 
from  the  scenery  of  spring  1  The  soft  and  gentle 
green  with  which  the  earth  is  spread,  the  feeble 
texture  of  the  plants  and  flowers,  the  young  of 
animals  just  entering  into  life,  and  the  remains  of 
winter  yet  lingering  among  the  woods  and  hills  — 
all  conspire  to  infuse  into  our  minds  somewhat  of 
that  fearful  tenderness  with  which  infancy  is  usually 
beheld.     With  such  a  sentiment,  how  innumerable 


118  THE   ELE31ENTS   OF   BEAUTY. 

are  the  ideas  which  present  themselves  to  our 
imagination !  ideas,  it  is  apparent,  by  no  means 
confined  to  the  scene  before  our  eyes,  or  to  the 
possible  desolation  which  may  yet  await  its  infant 
beauty,  but  which  almost  involuntarily  extend 
themselves  to  analogies  with  the  life  of  man,  and 
bring  before  us  all  those  images  of  hope  or  fear, 
which,  according  to  our  peculiar  situations,  have 
the  dominion  of  our  heart!  — The  beauty  of  autumn 
is  accompanied  with  a  similar  exercise  of  thought. 

"  Whatever  increases  this  exercise  or  employ- 
ment of  imagination,  increases  also  the  emotion 
of  beauty  or  sublimity. 

"  This  is  very  obviously  the  effect  of  all  associa- 
tions. There  is  no  man  who  has  not  some  in- 
teresting associations  with  particular  scenes,  or 
airs,  or  books,  and  who  does  not  feel  their  beauty 
or  sublimity  enhanced  to  him  by  such  connexions. 
The  view  of  the  house  where  one  was  born,  of  the 
school  where  one  was  educated,  and  where  the  gay 
years  of  infancy  were  passed,  is  indifferent  to  no  man. 

"  In  the  case  of  those  trains  of  thought,  which 
are  suggested  by  objects  either  of  sublimity  or 
beauty,  it  will  be  found,  that  they  are  in  all  cases 
composed  of  ideas  capable  of  exciting  some  affec- 
tion or  emotion  j  and  that  not  only  the  whole  suc- 
cession is  accompanied  with  that  peculiar  emotion 
which  we  call  the  emotion  of  beauty  or  sublimity, 
but  that  every  individual  idea  of  such  a  succession  is 
in  itself  productive  of  some  simple  emotion  or  other. 

"  Thus  the  ideas  suggested  by  the  scenery  of 
spring,  are  ideas  productive  of  emotions  of  cheer- 


THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY.  119 

fulness,  of  gladness,  and  of  tenderness.  The  images 
suggested  by  the  prospect  of  ruins,  are  images  be- 
longing to  p.ity,  to  melancholy,  and  to  admiration. 
The  ideas,  in  the  same  manner,  awakened  by  the 
view  of  the  ocean  in  a  storm,  are  ideas  of  power, 
of  majesty,  and  of  terror." 

To  prevent  circumlocution,  such  ideas  may  be 
termed  ideas  of  emotion ;  and  the  effect  which  is 
produced  upon  the  mind,  by  objects  of  taste,  may 
be  considered  as  consisting  in  the  production  of  a 
regular  or  consistent  train  of  ideas  of  emotion. 

"  In  those  trains  which  are  suggested  by  objects 
of  sublimity  or  beauty,  however  slight  the  con- 
nexion between  individual  thoughts  may  be,  it  will 
be  found,  that  there  is  always  some  general  prin- 
ciple of  connexion  which  pervades  the  whole,  and 
gives  them  some  certain  definite  character.  They 
are  either  gay,  or  pathetic,  or  melancholy,  or 
solemn,  or  awful,  or  elevating,  &c.,  according  to 
the  nature  of  the  emotion  which  is  first  excited. 
Thus  the  prospect  of  a  serene  evening  in  summer, 
produces  first  an  emotion  of  peacefulness  and  tran- 
quillity, and  then  suggests  a  variety  of  images  cor- 
responding to  this  primary  impression.  The  sight 
of  a  torrent,  or  of  a  storm,  in  the  same  manner,  im- 
presses us  first  with  sentiments  of  awe  or  solemnity, 
or  terror,  and  then  awakens  in  our  minds  a  series 
of  conceptions  allied  to  this  peculiar  emotion." 

The  intellectual,  or  fine  arts  are  those  whose 
objects  are  thus  addressed  to  the  imagination ; 
and  the  pleasures  they  afford  are  described,  by  way 
of  distinction,  as  the  pleasures  of  the  imagination. 


120         THE  ELEMENTS  OF  BEAUTY. 


SUMMARY   OF  THIS   CHAPTER. 

Thus,  by  analysis,  generalization,  and  systema- 
tization,  of  the  materials  which  the  best  writers 
present,  I  have,  in  this  chapter,  endeavored  to  take 
new  and  larger  views ;  and,  by  an  examination  of 
the  elements  of  beauty,  I  have  endeavored  to  fix 
its  doctrines  upon  an  immoveable  basis. 

I  have  shown  that  there  exist  elements  of  beauty 
equally  invariable  in  themselves,  and  in  the  kind 
of  effect  they  produce  upon  the  mind  ;  that  these 
elements  are  modified,  varied,  and  complicated,  as 
we  advance  from  the  most  simple  to  the  most 
complex  class  of  natural  beings,  or  of  the  arts 
which  relate  to  these  respectively ;  that  the  ele- 
ments of  beauty  in  inanimate  beings,  consist  in 
the  simplicity,  regularity,  uniformity,  proportion, 
order,  &c.,  of  those  geometrical  forms  which  are 
so  intimately  connected  with  mere  existence ;  that 
the  elements  of  beauty  in  living  beings,  consist  in. 
adding  to  the  preceding  the  delicacy,  bending, 
variety,  contrast,  &c.,  which  are  connected  with 
growth,  and  reproduction  ;  that  the  elements  of 
beauty  in  thinking  beings,  consist  in  adding  to  the 
preceding  the  symmetry,  proportion,*  &c.,  which 
are  connected  with  fitness  for  sense,  thought,  and 
motion  ;  that  the  elements  of  beauty  in  the  objects 
of  useful  art,  consist  in  the  same  simplicity,  regu- 

•  Proportion  is  here  employed,  not  as  expressing  an  intrinsic 
relation,  as  in  the  beauty  of  inanimate  beings,  but  as  expressing 
an  extrinsic  relation  to  fitness  for  ends. 


THE  ELEMENTS.  OF  BEAUTY.  121 

larity,  uniformity,  proportion,  order,  &c.,  of  geo- 
metrical forms  which  belong  to  inanimate  beings ; 
that  the  elements  of  beauty  in  the  objects  of  orna- 
mental art  consist  in  the  same  delicacy,  bending, 
variety,  contrast,  &c.,  which  belong  to  living  beings ; 
and  that  the  elements  of  beauty  in  the  objects  of 
intellectual  art  consist  in  thinking  forms,  in  gesture, 
sculpture,  and  painting,  or  in  functions  of  mind 
actually  exercised,  in  oratory,  poetry,  and  music. 

The  elements  of  beauty  have  hitherto  been  con- 
founded by  many  writers,  as  more  or  less  applicable 
to  objects  of  all  kinds;  and  as  this  general  and 
confused  application  was  easily  disproved  as  to 
many  objects,  uncertainty  and  doubt  have  been 
thrown  over  the  whole.  The  remaining  writers 
have  consequently  been  led  to  adopt,  as  characters 
of  beauty,  only  one  or  two  of  these  elements,  which 
were  consequently  capable  of  application  only  to 
one  or  two  classes  of  its  objects.  Hence,  no  sub- 
ject of  human  inquiry  has  hitherto  been  left  in  a 
more  disgraceful  condition  than  this,  the  very 
foundation  of  taste. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  state  that,  owing  to  the  near 
approximations  to  truth,  and  the  insensible  transi- 
tions into  error,  which  I  have  found  in  every  wri- 
ter, and  the  immense  mass  of  confused  materials 
which  they  present,  this  subject  has  cost  me  more 
trouble  than  any  one  I  have  ever  investigated,  ex- 
cept that  of  my  work  on  the  mind  ;*  nor  without 

•  "  The  Nervous  System,  Anatomical  and  Physiological :  in 
which  the  Functions  of  the  various  Parts  of  the  Brain  are,  for  the 
first  time,  assigned." 

11 


122  THE   ELEMENTS   OF    BEATTTT. 

some  physiological  knowledge,  do  I  think  tasks  of 
this  kind  at  all  practicable.  Generally  speaking, 
each  branch  of  knowledge  is  most  surely  advanced 
by  acquaintance  with  its  related  branches ;  and 
philosophers  cannot  too  much  bear  in  mind  the 
words  of  Cicero  :  "  Etenim  omnes  artes  quae  ad 
humanitatem  pertinent,  habent  quoddam  commune 
vinculum,  et  quasi  cognatione  quadam  inter  se  con- 
tinentur." 


APPENDIX  TO  THE  PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.    123 


APPENDIX  TO  THE  PRECEDING  CHAPTERS. 


SECTION  I. 

NATURE   OF  THE   PICTUEESftUE.* 

In  landscape,  the  nature  of  the  beautiful  and  the 
sublime  seems  to  be  better  understood  than  that 
of  the  picturesque.  There  are  few  disputes  as  to 
the  former ;  many  as  to  the  latter.  These  dis- 
putes, moreover,  are  not  as  to  what  is  picturesque^ 
but  as  to  what  picturesque  is. 

Payne  Knight  asserts,  that  the  picturesque  has 
no  distinctive  character,  and  merely  designates 
what  a  painter  would  imitate.  Price,  on  the  con- 
trary, has  given  so  many  admirable  illustrations  of 
it,  that  its  characteristics  are  before  every  reader. 
Strange  to  tell,  its  nature  or  essence  has  not  been 
penetrated,  because  these  characteristics  have  not 
been  rigidly  analyzed. 

Price  has,  indeed,  generalized  considerably  on 
this  subject,  by  showing  that  irregularity,  rough- 
ness, &c.,  enter  into  all  scenes  of  a  picturesque 


•  Communicated  by  the  writer  to  the  "  Magazine  of  the  Fine 
Arts,"  No>  il,  for  June,  1833. 


12-i  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

description  j  and  the  examination  of  any  one  of 
them  will  certainly  verify  the  truth  of  his  observa- 
tion. 

Thus,  on  a  remote  country-road,  we  often  ob- 
serve the  deep  ruts  on  its  surface  which  in  winter 
would  render  it  impassable — ^  the  huge  and  loose 
moss-grown  stone,  ready  to  encumber  it  by  falling 
from  the  bank  —  the  stunted  pollard  by  its  side, 
whose  roots  are  exposed  by  the  earth  falling  away 
from  it,  and  which  must  itself  be  swept  away  by 
the  first  wind  that  may  blow  against  it  in  an  unfa- 
vorable direction  —  the  almost  '  ruined  cottage, 
above  and  beyond  these,  whose  gable  is  propped 
up  by  an  old  and  broken  wheel,  and  whose  thatched 
roof,  stained  with  every  hue  of  moss  or  lichen,  has, 
at  one  part,  long  fallen  in  —  the  shaggy  and  ragged 
horse  that  browses  among  the  rank  weeds  around 
it  —  and  the  old  man,  bent  with  age,  who  leans 
over  the  broken  gate  in  front  of  it. 

Here,  in  every  circumstance,  is  verified  the  ir- 
regularity and  roughness  which  Price  ascribes  to 
the  picturesque.  But  he  has  failed  to  observe,  that 
the  irregularity  and  roughness  are  but  the  signs  of 
that  which  interests  the  mind  far  more  deeply,  name- 
ly, the  universal  decay  which  causes  them.  This 
is  the  essence  of  the  picturesque  —  the  charm  in  it 
which  begets  our  sympathy. 

Confining  his  remark  merely  to  ruins,  the  author 
of  "  Observations  on  Gardening,"  says  :  "  At  the 
sight  of  a  ruin,  reflections  on  the  change,  the  de- 
cay, and  the  desolation,  before  us  naturally  occur  j 
and  they  introduce  a  long  succession  of  others,  all 


PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.  125 

tinctured  with  that  melancholy  which  these  have 
inspired ;  or  if  the  monument  revive  the  memory 
of  former  times,  we  do  not  stop  at  the  simple  fact 
which  it  records,  but  recollect  many  more  coeval 
circumstances  which  we  see,  nor  perhaps  as  they 
were,  but  as  they  are  come  down  to  us,  venerable 
with  age,  and  magnified  by  fame." — What  is  here 
said  of  ruins,  and  is  indeed  as  to  them  sufRciently 
striking,  is  true  of  the  picturesque  universally,  and 
it  is  only  surprising  that,  amid  such  disputes,  this 
simple  and  obvious  truth  should  not  have  been  ob- 
served. 

In  landscape,  therefore,  the  picturesque  stands 
in  the  same  relation  to  the  beautiful  and  sublime, 
that  the  pathetic  does  to  them  in  poetry.  Hence, 
speaking  also  of  ruins  only,  Alison  says  :  "  The 
images  suggested  by  the  prospect  of  ruins,  are 
images  belonging  to  pity,  to  melancholy,  and  to 
admiration." 

A  thousand  illustrations  might  be  given  in  sup- 
port of  this  truth  and  the  principle  which  it  affords; 
but  I  think  it  better  to  leave  these  to  the  sugges- 
tion or  the  choice  of  every  reader. 


SECTION  II, 


CAUSE    OF   LAUGHTER. 


This  has  been  partly  explained  by  Beattie,  partly 
by  Hobbes  ;  and  it  is  chiefly  to  vindicate  the  latter, 
who  knew  much  more  of  the  human  mind  than  the 
U* 


126  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

people  who  have  attacked  him,  that  I  write  the 
pages  immediately  following. 

Speaking  of  the  quality  in  things,  which  makes 
them  provoke  the  pleasing  emotion  or  sentiment 
of  which  laughter  is  the  external  sign,  Beattie 
says  :  "  It  is  an  uncommon  mixture  of  relation  and 
contrariety,  exhibited,  or  supposed  to  be  united,  in 
the  same  assemblage."  And  elsewhere  he  says : 
"  Laughter  arises  from  the  view  of  two  or  more 
inconsistent,  unsuitable,  or  incongruous  parts  or 
circumstances,  considered  as  united  in  one  com- 
plex object  or  assemblage,  or  as  acquiring  a  sort  of 
mutual  relation  from  the  peculiar  manner  in  which 
the  mind  takes  notice  of  them." 

"  The  latter  may  arise  from  contiguity,  from  the 
relation  of  cause  and  effect,  from  unexpected  like- 
ness, from  dignity  and  meanness,  from  absurd- 
ity, &c, 

"  Thus,  at  first  view,  the  dawn  of  the  morning 
and  a  boiled  lobster  seem  utterly  incongruous,  but 
when  a  change  of  color  from  black  to  red  is  sug- 
gested, we  recognise  a  likeness,  and  consequently 
a  relation,  or  ground  of  comparison. 

"  And  here  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  greater 
the  number  of  incongruities  that  are  blended  in 
the  same  assemblage,  the  more  ludicrous  it  wnll 
probably  be.  If,  as  in  the  last  example,  there  be 
an  opposition  of  dignity  and  meanness,  as  well  as 
of  likeness  and  dissimilitude,  the  effect  of  the 
contrast  will  be  more  powerful,  than  if  only  one 
of  these  oppositions  had  appeared  in  the  ludicrous 
idea." 


PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.  127 

The  first  part  of  the  subject  seems,  indeed,  so 
clear  as  to  admit  of  no  objection. 

Hobbes,  viewing  more  particularly  the  act  of  the 
mind,  defines  laughter  to  be  a  "  sudden  glory, 
arising  from  a  sudden  conception  of  some  eminen- 
cy  in  ourselves,  by  comparison  with  the  infirmity 
of  others,  or  with  our  OAvn  formerly."  And  else- 
where he  says :  '*  Men  laugh  at  jests,  the  wit 
whereof  always  consisteth  in  the  elegant  discov- 
ering and  conveying  to  our  minds,  some  absurdity 
of  another."* 

Dr.  Campbell  objects  that  "contempt  may  be 
raised  in  a  very  high  degree,  both  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly,  without  producing  the  least  tendency 
to  laugh."  But  if  there  exist  that  incongruity  in 
the  same  assemblage  described  as  the  fundamental 
cause  of  this  sudden  conception  of  our  own  supe- 
riority, laughter,  as  Beattie  has  shown,  "  will  al- 
ways, or  for  the  most  part,  excite  the  risible  emo- 
tion, unless  when  the  perception  of  it  is  attended 
with  some  other  emotion  of  greater  authority," 
dependant  on  custom,  politeness,  &c. 

Dr.  Campbell  also  observes,  that  "  laughter  may 
be,  and  is  daily,  produced  by  the  perception  of  in- 
congruous associations,  when  there  is  no  contempt. 

"  We  often  smile  at  a  witty  performance  or  pas- 
sage, such  as  Butler's  allusion  to  a  boiled  lobster, 
in  his  picture  of  the  morning,  when  we  are  so  far 
from  conceiving  any  inferiority  or  turpitude  in  the 


•  "  Human  Nature,"  cliap.  ix.,  sec.  13, 


128  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

author,  that  we  greatly  admire  his  genius,  and  wish 
ourselves  possessed  of  that  very  turn  of  fancy 
which  produced  the  drollery  in  question. 

"Many  have  laughed  at  the  queerness  of  the 
comparison  in  these  lines, 

'  For  rhyme  the  rudder  is  of  verses, 
With  which  like  ships  they  steer  their  courses,' 

who  never  dreamed  that  there  was  any  person  or 
party,  practice  or  opinion,  derided  in  them. 

"  If  any  admirer  of  the  Hobbesian  philosophy 
should  pretend  to  discover  some  class  of  men  whom 
the  poet  here  meant  to  ridicule,  he  ought  to  con- 
sider, that  if  any  one  hath  been  tickled  with  the 
passage  to  whom  the  same  thought  never  occurred, 
that  single  instance  would  be  sufficient  to  subvert 
the  doctrine,  as  it  would  show  that  there  may  be 
laughter  where  there  is  no  triumph  or  glorying 
over  anybody,  and,  consequently,  no  conceit  of 
one's  OAvn  superiority. 

Now,  the  class  of  men  laughed  at  in  both  cases 
is  the  same,  namely,  poets,  whose  lofty  allusions 
are  ridiculed  by  the  former,  and  silly  rhymes  by 
the  latter  ;  nor  can  any  one  duly  appreciate  or  be 
pleased  with  either,  to  whom  this  intention  of  the 
writer  is  not  obvious.  Who  ever  dreamed  of  "  tur- 
pitude in  the  author,"  as  Dr.  Campbell  supposes  ! 

"  As  to  the  wag,"  says  Beattie,  "  who  amuses 
himself  on  the  first  of  April  with  telling  lies,  he 
must  be  shallow,  indeed,  if  he  hope,  by  so  doing,  to 
acquire  any  superiority  over  another  man  whom  he 


PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.  129 

knows  to  be  wiser  and  better  than  himself;  for,  on 
these  occasions,  the  greatness  of  the  joke,  and  the 
loudness  of  the  laugh,  are,  if  I  rightly  remember, 
in  exact  proportion  to  the  sagacity  of  the  person 
imposed  on,"  —  No  doubt ;  but  it  is  because  he  is 
thrown  into  an  apparent  and  whimsical,  though 
momentary  inferiority ;  and  the  greater  his  saga- 
city, the  more  amusing  does  this  appear. 

"  Do  we  not,"  says  he,  "  sometimes  laugh  at  for- 
tuitous combinations,  in  which,  as  no  mental  energy 
is  concerned  in  producing  them,  there  cannot  be 
either  fault  or  turpitude  1  Could  not  one  imagine  a 
set  of  people  jumbled  together  by  accident,  so  as  to 
present  a  laughable  group  to  those  who  know  their 
characters'?"  —  Undoubtedly;  but  then  the  slouch 
of  one,  and  the  rigidity  of  the  other,  &c.,  make  both 
contemptible,  as  to  physical  characteristics  at  least, 
and  there  is  no  need  of  turpitude  in  either. 

The  strongest  apparent  objection,  however,  is 
that  of  Dr.  Campbell,  who  says :  "  Indeed,  men's 
telling  their  own  blunders,  even  blunders  recently 
committed,  and  laughing  at  them,  a  thing  not  un- 
common in  very  risible  dispositions,  is  utterly  in- 
explicable upon  Hobbes's  system.  For,  to  consider 
the  thing  only  with  regard  to  the  laugher  himself, 
there  is  to  him  no  subject  of  glorying,  that  is  not 
counterbalanced  by  an  equal  subject  of  humiliation 
(he  being  both  the  person  laughing,  and  the  person 
laughed  at),  and  these  two  subjects  must  destroy 
one  another." 

But  he  overlooks  the  precise  terms  employed  by 
Hobbes,  who  says :  "  The  passion  of  laughter  is 


130  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

nothing  else  but  sudden  glory,  arising  from  a  sud- 
den conception  of  some  eminency  in  ourselves,  by 
comparison  with  the  infirmity  of  others,  or  with  our 
own  formerly.  For  men  laugh  at  the  follies  of  them.' 
selves  past,  when  they  come  suddenly  to  remem- 
brance, except  they  bring  with  them  any  present  dis- 
honor." 

It  is  not  therefore  true,  as  Dr.  Campbell  says, 
that  "  with  regard  to  others,  he  appears  solely  un- 
der the  notion  of  inferiority,  as  the  person  triumph- 
ed over."  He,  on  the  contrary,  appears  as  achieving 
a  very  glorious  triumph,  that,  namely,  over  his  own 
errors. 

This  shows  also  the  error  of  Addison's  remarks, 
that  "  according  to  this  account,  when  we  hear  a 
man  laugh  excessively,  instead  of  saying  that  he  is 
very  merry,  we  ought  to  tell  him  that  he  is  very 
proud." — A  man  may  contemn  the  errors  both  of 
himself  and  others,  without  pride  :  and,  indeed,  in. 
contemning  the  former,  he  proves  himself  to  be  far 
above  that  sentiment,  and  verifies  Dr.  Campbell's 
remark  that  no  two  characters  more  rarely  meet  in 
the  same  person,  than  that  of  a  very  risible  man, 
and  a  very  self-conceited  supercilious  man. 

It  is  curious  to  see  a  great  man,  like  Hobbes, 
thus  attacked  by  less  ones,  who  do  not  even  under- 
stand him. 


PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.  131 


SECTION    III. 

CAUSE   OF  THE   FLEASUEE   RECEIVED  FROM   REPRESEinATIOnS 
EXCITING   PITY. 

Many  hypotheses  have  heen  proposed  to  explain 
this  cause. 

According  to  the  Abbe  Du  Bos,*  in  order  to  get 
rid  of  listlessness,  the  mind  seeks  for  emotions  5 
and  the  stronger  these  are  the  better.  Hence,  the 
passions  which  in  themselves  are  the  most  distres- 
sing, are,  for  this  purpose,  preferable  to  the  pleas- 
ant, because  they  most  effectually  relieve  the  mind 
from  the  less  endurable  languor  which  preys  upon 
it  during  inaction. 

The  sophistry  of  this  explanation  is  evident. 
Pleasant  passions,  as  Dr.  Campbell  has  shown,  ought 
in  every  respect  to  have  the  advantage,  because, 
while  they  preserve  the  mind  from  this  state  of  in- 
action, they  convey  a  feeling  which  is  agreeable. 
Nor  is  it  true  that  the  stronger  the  emotion  is,  so 
much  the  fitter  for  this  purpose  ;  for  if  we  exceed 
a  certain  measure,  instead  of  a  sympathetic  and  de- 
lightful sorrow,  we  excite  only  horror  and  aversion. 
The  most,  therefore,  that  can  be  concluded  from 
the  Abbe's  premises,  is,  that  it  is  useful  to  excite 
passion  of  some  kind  or  other,  but  not  that  the  dis- 
tressing ones  are  the  fittest. 

According  to  Fontenelle,t  theatrical  representa- 


•  "  Reflexions  Critiques  sur  la  Poesie  et  sur  la  Peinture." 
f  "Reflexions  sur  la  Poetique." 


132  APPENDIX    TO    THE 

tion  has  almost  the  effect  of  reality  :  but  yet  not 
altogether.  We  have  still  a  certain  idea  of  false- 
hood in  the  whole  of  what  we  see.  We  weep  for 
the  misfortunes  of  a  hero  to  whom  we  are  attached. 
In  the  same  instant,  we  comfort  ourselves  by  re- 
flecting, that  it  is  nothing  but  a  fiction. 

The  short  answer  to  this  is,  that  we  are  conscious 
of  no  such  alternation  as  that  here  described. 

According  to  David  Hume,  whose  hypothesis  is 
a  kind  of  supplement  to  the  former  two,  that  which 
"  when  the  sorrow  is  not  softened  by  fiction,  raises 
a  pleasure  from  the  bosom.of  uneasiness,  a  pleasure, 
which  still  retains  all  the  features  and  outward 
symptoms  of  distress  and  sorrow,  is  that  very  elo- 
quence with  which  the  melancholy  scene  is  repre- 
sented." 

In  reply,  Dr.  Campbell  has  shown  that  the  ag- 
gravating of  all  the  circumstances  of  misery  in  the 
representation,  cannot  make  it  be  contemplated 
with  pleasure,  but  must  be  the  most  effectual 
method  for  making  it  give  greater  pain  ;  that  the 
detection  of  the  speaker's  talents  and  address, 
which  Hume's  hypothesis  implies,  is  in  direct  op- 
position to  the  fundamental  maxim,  that  "  it  is  es- 
sential to  the  art  to  conceal  the  art ;"  and  that  the 
supposition  that  there  are  two  distinct  effects  pro- 
duced by  the  eloquence  on  the  hearers,  one  the 
sentiment  of  beauty,  or  of  the  harmony  of  orato- 
rical numbers,  the  other  the  passion  which  the 
speaker  purposes  to  raise  in  their  minds,  and  that 
when  the  first  predominates,  the  mixture  of  the 
two  effects  becomes  exceedingly  pleasant,  and  the 


PRECEDING  CHAPTERS.  133 

reverse  when  the  second  is  superior,  is  altogether 
imaginary. 

According  to  Hawkesworth,*  the  compassion  in 
question  may  be  "  resolved  into  that  power  of  im- 
agination, by  which  we  apply  the  misfortunes  of 
others  to  ourselves  ;"  and  we  are  said  "  to  pity  no 
longer  than  we  fancy  ourselves  to  suffer,  and  to  be 
pleased  only  by  reflecting  that  our  sufferings  are 
not  real ;  thus  indulging  a  dream  of  distress,  from 
which  we  can  awake  whenever  we  please,  to  exult 
in  our  security,  and  enjoy  the  comparison  of  the 
fiction  with  the  truth." 

This  hypothesis  is  evidently  too  gross  to  need 
reply. 

Dr.  Campbell  has  answered  the  preceding  hy- 
potheses at  great  length,  and  quite  satisfactorily.  I 
regret  to  say  that  his  own  is  as  worthless,  as  well 
as  remarkably  confused  and  unintelligible. 

To  Burke,  who  wrote  at  a  later  period,  it  falls  to 
my  lot  to  reply  at  greater  length. 

"  To  examine  this  point  concerning  the  effect  of 
tragedy  in  a  proper  manner,"  says  that  writer,  "  we 
must  previously  consider  how  we  are  affected  by 
the  feelings  of  our  fellow-creatures  in  circumstances 
of  real  distress.  I  am  convinced  we  have  a  degree 
of  delight,  and  that  no  small  one,  in  the  real  mis- 
fortunes and  pains  of  others  ;  for,  let  the  affection 
be  what  it  will  in  appearance,  if  it  does  not  make 
US  shun  such  objects,  if  on  the  contrary  it  induces 
us  to  approach  them,  if  it  makes  us  dwell  upon 

•  "  Adventurer,"  No.  110. 

12 


134<  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

them,  in  this  case  I  conceive  we  must  have  a  de- 
light or  pleasure  of  some  species  or  other  in  con- 
•templating  objects  of  this  kind.  .  .  Our  delight  in 
cases  of  this  kind  is  very  greatly  heightened,  if  the 
sufferer  be  some  excellent  person  who  sinks  under 
an  unworthy  fortune.  •  .  The  delight  we  have  in 
such  things  hinders  us  from  shunning  scenes  of 
misery  ;  and  the  pains  we  feel,  prompt  us  to  relieve 
ourselves,  in  relieving  those  who  suffer.  .  .  In  imi- 
tated distress,  the  only  difference  is  the  pleasure 
resulting  from  the  effects  of  imitation." 

A  more  monstrous  doctrine  than  this  was  never 
perhaps  enunciated.  A  very  little  analysis  will 
expose  its  fallacy. 

In  relation  to  events  of  this  kind,  there  are  three 
very  distinct  cases— real  occurrence,  subsequent 
inspection  or  historical  narration,  and  dramatic 
representation ;  in  each,  the  affection  of  the  mind 
is  very  different  5  and  nearly  all  the  errors  on  this 
subject  seem  to  have  occurred  from  confounding 
them.     Burke  has  done  this  in  the  greatest  degree. 

.The  real  occurrence  of  unmerited  suffering  is 
beheld  with  no  delight,  but  with  unmixed  pain,  by 
every  well-constituted  mind.  Hume,*  therefore, 
justly  observes,  that  "  the  same  object  of  distress, 
which  pleases  in  a  tragedy,  were  it  really  set  before 
us,  would  give  the  most  unfeigned  uneasiness."  It 
is  only  by  confounding  this  with  the  next  case,  of 
subsequent  inspection  or  historical  narration,  that 
Burke  gets  into  error  here. 

*  Essay  on  Tragedy. 


PRECEDING   CHAPTERS.  l^ 

"  We  do  not,"  says  Burke,  "  sufficiently  distin- 
guish what  we  would  by  no  means  choose  to  do  [or 
to  see  done — he  should  have  added]  from  what  we 
should  be  eager  enough  to  see  if  it  was  once  done. 
We  delight  in  seeing  things  \after  they  are  done — 
he  should  have  added],  which,  so  far  from  doing, 
our  heartiest  wishes  would  be  to  see  redressed." 

That  the  additions  I  have  made,  more  truly  state 
the  case,  seems  as  evident,  as  it  is,  that  they  afford 
a  very  different  conclusion  from  Burke's,  of  our 
beholding  unmerited  suffering  with  delight.  But 
he  himself  proves  this  by  the  very  instance  which 
he  gives  in  illustration  of  his  doctrine. 

"  This  noble  capital,"  he  says,  "  the  pride  of 
England  and  of  Europe,  I  believe  no  man  is  so 
strangely  wicked  as  to  desire  to  see  destroyed  by  a 
conflagration  or  an  earthquake,  though  he  should 
be  removed  himself  to  the  greatest  distance  from 
the  danger.  But  suppose  such  a  fatal  accident  to 
have  happened,  what  numbers  from  all  parts  would 
crowd  to  behold  the  ruins,  and  among  them  many 
who  would  have  been  content  never  to  have  seen 
London  in  its  glory  !" 

Here  the  words  which  I  have  put  in  italics  clearly 
show  that  I  was  right  in  the  additions  I  suggested 
in  his  previous  statement,  and  that  he  there  con- 
founded delight  in  seeing  the  infliction  of  unmerited 
suffering,  with  delight  in  seeing  it  after  infliction, 
or  of  seeing  it  historically  narrated  j  for,  in  this  his 
illustration,  it  is  the  latter,  and  not  the  former,  that 
he  supposes — nay  he  now  says  "no  man  is  so 
strangely  wicked  as  to  desire  to  see  destroyed  I"  &0t 


136  APPENDIX  TO  THE 

Indeed,  it  is  quite  plain  that,  supposing  an  attempt 
made  to  destroy  London,  so  far  would  every  one  be 
from  being  delighted  to  see  it  done,  that  he  would 
eagerly  prevent  it.  There  is  here,  therefore,  on  the 
part  of  this  writer,  only  his  common  and  charac- 
teristic confusion  of  ideas. 

"  Choose  a  day,"  he  says,  "  on  which  to  represent 
the  most  sublime  and  affecting  tragedy  we  have  ; 
appoint  the  most  favorite  actors  ;  spare  no  cost 
upon  the  scenes  and  decorations  ;  unite  the  greatest 
efforts  of  poetry,  painting,  and  music ;  and  when 
you  have  collected  your  audience,  just  at  the  mo- 
ment when  their  minds  are  erect  with  expectation, 
let  it  be  reported  that  a  state-criminal,  of  high  rank, 
is  on  the  point  of  being  executed  in  the  adjoining 
square ;  in  a  moment  the  emptiness  of  the  theatre 
would  demonstrate  the  comparative  weakness  of 
the  imitative  arts,  and  proclaim  the  triumph  of  the 
real  sympathy." 

This  presents  only  another  instance  of  want  of 
discrimination.  If  the  "  state-criminal,  of  high 
rank,"  were  not  a  real  criminal-— if  he  were  an 
unmerited  sufferer,  the  place  of  execution,  suppo- 
sing his  rescue  impossible,  would  assuredly  be  fled 
from  by  every  person  of  feeling  and  honor  ;  as  we 
read  of  in  the  public  papers,  lately,  when  a  murder 
of  that  kind  was  perpetrating  by  some  one  of  the 
base  little  jailor-princes  of  Germany.  And  we 
know  that,  in  the  case  of  legal  perpetrations  of 
that  kind  in  England,  even  upon  real  criminals, 
none  but  the  most  degraded  wretches  go  to  witness 
such  scenes. 


PRECEDING  CHAPTEES.  .  137 

In  tragic  representation,  then,  we  know  that  the 
suffering  is  not  real,  else  should  we  fly.  There 
have,  indeed,  in  such  cases,  heen  instances  of  a 
sort  of  momentary  deception,  but  it  is  only  chil- 
dren, and  very  simple  people,  utter  strangers  to 
theatrical  amusements,  who  are  apt  to  be  so  de- 
ceived ;  and  as  their  case  always  excites  the  sur- 
prise and  laughter  of  every  one,  it  clearly  proves 
that  others  are  under  no  sort  of  deception. 

Even  Burke,  notwithstanding  his  want  of  dis- 
crimination, and  his  monstrous  hypothesis,  says : 
"  Imitated  distress  is  never  so  perfect,  but  we  can 
perceive  it  is  imitation,  and  on  that  principle  are 
somewhat  pleased  with  it."  And  his  case  of  de- 
sertion of  the  theatre,  if  it  occur  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, illustrates  this. 

Burke  adds,  indeed :  "  But  then  I  imagine  we 
shall  be  much  mistaken  if  we  attribute  any  consid- 
erable part  of  our  satisfaction  in  tragedy  to  the 
consideration  that  tragedy  is  o  deceit^  and  its  repre- 
sentations no  realities.  [We  seek  no  satisfaction 
of  the  kind  :  we  know  it  to  be  a  deceit  throughout !] 
The  nearer  it  approaches  the  reality,  and  the  far- 
ther it  removes  us  from  all  idea  of  fiction,  the  more 
perfect  is  its  power." 

The  nearest  possible  approach  to  reality,  is  only 
necessary  to  the  success  of  fiction,  to  the  pleasure 
of  imagination.  He  himself  has  said :  "  Imitated 
distress  is  never  so  perfect,  but  we  can  perceive 
it  is  imitation !"  Again,  therefore,  here  is  only 
Burke's  characteristic  confusion  of  ideas. 
12* 


138   APPENDIX  TO  THE  PRECEDING  CHAPTERS, 

My  own  doctrine  on  this  subject  is  already  ob- 
vious from  the  remarks  made  on  others.  We  never 
cease  to  know  that  tragic  representation  is  a  mere 
deception  ;  our  reason  is  never  imposed  upon  ;  our 
imagination  is  alone  engaged  ;  we  are  perfectly  con- 
scious that  it  is  so  ;  and  we  have  all  the  sensibility^ 
fine  feeling,  and  generosity  of  pity,  as  well  as  the 
satisfaction  of  being  thereby  raised  wonderfully  in 
our  own  esteem,  at  the  small  cost  of  three  shillings  ! 

It  is  not  a  little  curious,  that  this  should  not  have 
been  evident  to  those  who  have  written  so  much 
about  it.  Dr.  Campbell,  alone,  has  approached  it. 
"  So  great,"  he  says,  "  is  the  anomaly  which  some- 
times displays  itself  in  human  characters,  that  it  is 
not  impossible  to  find  persons  who  are  quickly 
made  to  cry  at  seeing  a  tragedy,  or  reading  a 
romance,  which  they  know  to  be  fictions,  and  yet 
are  both  inattentive  and  unfeeling  in  respect  of  the 
actual  objects  of  compassion  who  live  in  their 
neighborhood,  and  are  daily  under  their  eye.  .  .  . 
Men  may  be  of  a  selfish,  contracted,  and  even 
avaricious  disposition,  who  are  not  what  we  should 
denominate  hard-hearted,  or  unsusceptible  of  sym- 
pathetic feeling.  Such  will  gladly  enjoy  the  luxury 
of  pity  (as  Hawkesworth  terms  it)  when  it  nowise 
interferes  with  their  more  powerful  passions  ;  that 
is,  when  it  comes  unaccompanied  with  a  demand 
upon  their  pockets."  —  This  should  have  led  him 
to  the  simple  truth,  and  should  have  prevented  his 
framing  the  most  confused,  unintelligible,  and 
worthless  hypothesis  upon  this  subject. 


ANATOMICAL  AND  PHYSIOLOGICAL  PRINCIPLES.    139 


CHAPTER  Vni. 

ANATOMICAL   AND   PHYSIOLOGICAL  PRINCIPLES. 

To  any  inquiry  respecting  the  beauty  of  woman, 
the  replies  are,  in  general,  various,  inconsistent, 
or  contradictory.  The  assertion  might,  therefore, 
appear  to  be  true,  that,  even  under  the  same  climate, 
beauty  is  not  always  the  same. 

Our  vague  perceptions,  however,  and  our  vague 
expressions  respecting  beauty,  will  be  found  to  be, 
in  a  great  measure,  owing  to  the  inaccuracy  of  our 
mode  of  examining  it,  and,  in  some  measure,  to 
the  imperfect  nomenclature  which  we  possess  for 
describing  it. 

Beauty,  and  even  true  taste,  respecting  it,  are 
always  the  same  ;  but,  in  the  first  place,  we  observe 
beauty  partially  and  imperfectly ;  and  in  the  second 
place,  our  actual  preferences  are  dependant  on  our 
particular  wants,  and  will  be  found  to  differ  only 
because  these  wants  differ  in  every  individual,  and 
even  in  the  same  individual  at  different  periods  of 
life. 

The  laws  regulating  beauty  in  woman,  and  taste 
respecting  it  in  man,  have  not  been  attempted  to 
be  explained,  except  in  the  worthless  work  alluded 


140  ANATOMICAL   AND 

to  in  the  advertisement.     Yet  nothing  perhaps  is 
more  universally  interesting. 

As,  in  this  view,  the  kinds  of  beauty  demand  the 
first  and  chief  attention,  the  following  illustrations 
are  necessary  :  — 

We  observe  a  woman  possessing  one  species  of 
beauty  :  —  Her  face  is  generally  oblong  ;  her  neck 
is  rather  long  and  tapering :  her  shoulders,  without 
being  angular,  are  sufficiently  broad  and  definite  ; 
her  bosom  is  of  moderate  dimensions ;  her  waist, 
remarkable  for  fine  proportion,  resembles  in  some 
respects  an  inverted  cone ;  her  haunches  are 
moderately  expanded  ;  her  thighs,  proportional ; 
her  arms,  as  well  as  her  limbs,  are  rather  long  and 
tapering  ;  her  hands  and  feet  are  moderately  small; 
her  complexion  is  often  rather  dark ;  and  her  hair 
is  frequently  abundant,  dark,  and  strong.  —  The 
whole  figure  is  precise,  striking,  and  brilliant.  Yet, 
has  she  few  or  none  of  the  qualities  of  the  succeed- 
ing species. 

We  observe,  next,  another  species  of  beauty :  — 
Her  face  is  generally  round;  her  eyes  are  generally 
of  the  softest  azure  ;  her  neck  is  often  rather  short ; 
her  shoulders  are  softly  rounded,  and  owe  any 
breadth  they  may  possess  rather  to  the  expanded 
chest,  than  to  the  size  of  the  shoulders  themselves ; 
her  bosom,  in  its  luxuriance,  seems  laterally  to 
protrude  on  the  space  occupied  by  the  arms ;  her 
waist,  though  sufficiently  marked,  is,  as  it  were, 
encroached  on  by  the  enbonpoint  of  all  the  con- 
tiguous parts  ;  her  haunches  are  greatly  expanded ; 
her  thighs  are  large  in  proportion ;  but  her  limbs 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   PRINCIPLES.  141 

and  arms,  tapering  and  becoming  delicate,  termi- 
nate in  feet  and  hands  which,  compared  with  the 
ample  trunk,  are  peculiarly  small ;  her  complexion 
has  the  rose  and  lily  so  exquisitely  blended,  that 
we  are  surprised  it  should  defy  the  usual  operation 
of  the  elements  ;  and  she  boasts  a  luxuriant  pro- 
fusion of  soft  and  fine  flaxen  or  auburn  hair.  — The 
whole  figure  is  soft  and  voluptuous  in  the  extreme. 
Yet  has  she  not  the  almost  measured  proportions 
and  the  brilliant  air  of  the  preceding  species ;  nor 
has  she  the  qualities  of  the  succeeding  one. 

We  observe,  then,  a  beauty  of  a  third  species  :  — 
Her  face  is  generally  oval ;  her  high  and  pale  fore- 
head announces  the  intellectuality  of  her  character; 
her  intensely  expressive  eye  is  full  of  sensibility ; 
in  her  lower  features,  modesty  and  dignity  are 
often  united  ;  she  has  not  the  expanded  bosom,  the 
general  embonpoint,  or  the  beautiful  complexion, 
of  the  second  species  ;  and  she  boasts  easy  and 
graceful  motion,  rather  than  the  elegant  proportion 
of  the  first.  —  The  whole  figure  is  characterized  by 
intellectuality  and  grace. 

Such  are  the  three  species  of  beauty  of  which  all 
the  rest  are  varieties. 

Now,  as  it  is  in  general  one  only  of  these  species 
which  characterizes  any  one  woman,  and  as  each 
of  these  species  is  suited  to  the  wants  of,  and  is 
consequently  agreeable  to,  a  different  individual,  it 
is  obvious  why  the  common  vague  reports  of  the 
beauty  of  any  woman  are  always  so  various,  incon- 
sistent, or  contradictory. 

In  the  more  accurate  study  of  this  subject,  it  is 


142  ANATOMICAL   AND 

indispensable  that  the  reader  should  understand  the 
scientific  principles  on  which  the  preceding  brief 
analysis  of  female  beauty,  as  reducible  to  three 
species,  is  founded. 

.To  attain  this  knowledge,  and  to  acquire  facility 
in  the  art  of  distinguishing  and  judging  of  beauty 
in  woman,  a  little  general  knowledge  of  anatomy 
is  absolutely  essential.  The  writer  begs,  therefore, 
attention  to  the  following  sketch.  It  may  not  at 
first  seem  interesting  to  the  general  reader  ;  but  it 
is  the  sole  basis  of  a  scientific  knowledge  of  female 
beauty  ;  the  study  of  it  during  one  hour  is  sufficient 
to  apprehend  it  in  all  its  bearings ;  and  it  will  ob- 
viate every  future  difiiculty. 

In  viewing  the  human  organs  in  a  general  man- 
ner, a  class  of  these  organs  at  once  obtrudes  itself 
upon  our  notice,  from  its  consisting  of  an  appara- 
tus of  levers,  from  its  performing  motion  from  place 
to  place  or  locomotion,  and  from  these  motions 
being  of  the  most  obvious  kind. — ^A  little  more 
observation  presents  to  us  another  class,  which  is 
distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  its  consisting 
of  cylindrical  tubes,  by  its  transmitting  and  trans- 
muting liquids,  performing  vascular  action  or  nu- 
trition, and  by  its  motions  being  barely  apparent. — 
Farther  investigation  discovers  a  third,  which  dif- 
fers essentially  from  both  these,  in  its  consisting  of 
nervous  particles,  in  its  transmitting  impressions 
from  external  objects,  performing  nervous  action  or 
thought,  and  in  that  action  being  altogether  invisible. 

Thus,  each  of  these  classes  of  organs  is  distin- 
guished from  another  by  the  structure  of  its  parts, 


PHYSIOLOGHCAL   PRINOIPLES.  143 

by  the  purposes  which  it  serves,  and  by  the  greater 
or  less  obviousness  of  its  motions. 

The  first  consists  of  levers ;  the  second,  of  cyl- 
indrical tubes  ;  and  the  third,  of  nervous  particles. 
The  first  performs  motion  from  place  to  place  or 
locomotion  ;  the  second  transmits  and  transmutes 
liquids,  performing  vascular  action  or  nutrition; 
and  the  third  transmits  impressions  from  external 
objects,  performing  nervous  action  or  thought. 
The  motion  of  the  first  is  extremely  obvious ;  that 
of  the  second  is  barely  apparent ;  and  that  of  the 
third  is  altogether  invisible. 

Not  one  of  them  can  be  confounded  with  an- 
other :  for,  considering  their  purposes  only,  it  is 
evident  that  that  which  performs  locomotion,  nei- 
ther transmits  liquids  nor  sensations ;  that  which 
transmits  liquids,  neither  performs  locomotion  nor 
is  the  means  of  sensibility ;  and  that  which  is  the 
means  of  sensibility,  neither  performs  locomotion 
nor  transmits  liquids. 

Now,  the  organs  employed  in  locomotion  are  the 
bones,  ligaments,  and  muscles ;  those  employed  in 
transmitting  liquids  or  in  nutrition,  are  the  absorb- 
ent, circulating,  and  secreting  vessels ;  and  those 
employed  about  sensations  or  in. thought,  are  the 
organs  of  sense,  cerebrum,  and  cerebel,  with  the 
nerves  which  connect  them. 

The  first  class  of  organs  may,  therefore,  be 
termed  locomotive,  or  (from  their  very  obvious 
action)  mechanical ;  the  second,  vascular  or  nutri- 
tive, or  (as  even  vegetables,  from  their  possessing 
vessels,  have  life)  they  may  be  termed  vital ;  and 


IM  AKATOMICAL   AND 

the  third  may  be  named  nervous  or  thinking,  or  (as 
mind  results  from  them)  mental. 

The  human  body,  then,  consists  of  organs  of 
three  kinds.  By  the  first  kind,  locomotive  or  me- 
chanical action  is  effected  ;  by  the  second,  nutritive 
or  vital  action  is  maintained  ;  and  by  the  third, 
thinking  or  mental  action  is  permitted. 

Anatomy  is,  therefore,  divided  into  three  parts, 
namely,  that  which  considers  the  mechanical  or 
locomotive  organs ;  that  which  considers  the  nu- 
tritive or  vital  organs ;  and  that  which  considers 
the  thinking  or  mental  organs. 

Under  the  mechanical  or  locomotive  organs  are 
classed,  first,  the  bones  or  organs  of  support ;  sec- 
ond, the  ligaments  or  organs  of  articulation ;  and 
third,  the  muscles  or  organs  of  motion. 

Under  the  nutritive  or  vital  organs  are  classed, 
first,  the  absorbent  vessels  or  organs  of  absorption; 
second,  the  bloodvessels,  which  derive  their  con- 
tents from  the  absorbed  lymph,  or  organs  of  cir- 
culation ;  and  third,  the  secreting  vessels,  which 
separate  various  matters  from  the  blood,  or  organs 
of  secretion.* 


•  To  some  it  may  appear,  that  the  organs  and  functions  of  di- 
gestion, respiration,  and  generation,  are  not  involved  by  this  ar- 
rangement ;  but  such  a  notion  can  originate  only  in  superficial  ob- 
servation. 

Digestion  is  a  compound  function  easily  reducible  to  some  of  the 
simple  ones  which  have  been  enumerated.  It  consists  of  the  mo- 
tion of  the  stomach  and  contiguous  parts,  of  the  secretion  of  a  li- 
quid from  its  internal  surface,  and  of  that  heat,  which  is  the  com- 
mon result  of  all  action^  whether  mechanical,  vital,  or  mental,  and 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   PRINCIPLES.  145 

Under  the  thinking  or  mental  organs  are  classed, 
first,  the  organs  of  sense,  where  impressions  take 
place ;  second,  the  cerebrum  or  organ  of  thought, 
properly  so  called,  where  these  excite  ideas,  emo- 
tions, and  passions  j  and  third,  the  cerebel  or  organ 


which  is  better  explained  by  such  motion,  than  by  ch3rmical  theo- 
ries.   Similarly  compound  arc  respiration  and  generation. 

Thus,  there  is  no  organ  nor  function  which  is  not  involved  by  the 
simple  and  natural  arrangement  here  sketched. 

Compound,  however,  as  the  organs  of  digestion,  respiration,  and 
generation,  are,  yet,  as  they  form  so  important  a  part  of  the  sys- 
tem, it  may  be  asked,  with  which  of  these  classes  they  are  most 
allied.  The  answer  is  obvious.  All  of  them  consist  of  tubular 
vessels  of  various  diameter  ;  and  all  of  them  transmit  and  trans- 
mute liquids.  Possessing  such  strong  characteristics  of  the  nutri- 
tive or  vital  system,  they  are  evidently  most  allied  to  it. 

In  short,  digestion  prepares  the  nutritive  or  vital  matter,  which 
is  taken  up  by  absorption  —  the  first  of  the  simple  nutritive  func- 
tions ;  respiration  renovates  it  in  the  very  middle  of  its  course  -— 
between  the  two  portions  of  the  simple  function  of  circulation ; 
and  generation,  dependant  on  secretion  —  the  last  of  these  func- 
tions, communicates  this  nutritive  matter,  or  propagates  vitality  to 
a  new  series  of  beings.  In  such  arrangement,  the  digestive  or- 
gans, therefore,  precede,  and  the  generative  follow,  the  simple 
nutritive  organs  ;  while  the  respiratory  occupy  a  middle  place  be- 
tween the  venous  and  the  arterial  circulation. 

Nothing  can  be  more  improper,  as  the  preceding  observations 
show,  than  considering  any  one  of  these  as  a  distinct  class. 

More  fully,  therefore,  to  enumerate  the  nutritive  or  vital  organs, 
we  may  say,  that,  under  them,  are  classed,  first,  the  organs  of  di- 
gestion, the  external  and  internal  absorbent  surfaces,  and  the  ves- 
sels which  absorb  from  these  surfaces,  or  the  organs  of  absorption ; 
second,  the  heart,  lungs,  and  bloodvessels,  which  derive  their  con- 
tents (the  blood)  from  the  absorbed  lymph,  or  the  organs  of  cir- 
culation ;  and  third,  the  secreting  cavities,  glands,  &c.,  which  sep- 
arate various  matters  from  the  blood,  or  the  organs  of  secretion, 
and  of  which  generation  is  the  sequel. 
13 


146  ANATOMICAL   ANO 

of  volition,  where  acts  of  the  will  result  from  the 
last.* 

We  may  now  more  particularly  notice  the  func- 
tions of  these  organs,  which  are  the  subject  of 
physiology. 

In  the  locomotive  functions,  the  bones  at  once 
give  support,  and  form  levers  for  motion  ;  the  lig- 
aments form  articulations,  and  afford  the  points  of 
support ;  and  the  muscles  are  the  moving  powers. 
To  the  first,  are  owing  all  the  symmetry  and  ele- 
gance of  human  form  ;  to  the  second,  its  beaatiful 
flexibility  ;  and  to  the  third,  all  the  brilliance  and 
grace  of  motion  which  fancy  can  inspire,  or  skill 
can  execute. 

In  the  nutritive  functions,  the  food,  having  passed 
into  the  mouth,  is,  after  mastication,  aided  by  mix- 
ture with  the  saliva,  thrown  back,  by  the  tongue 
and  contiguous  parts,  into  the  cavity  behind,  called 
fauces  and  pharynx ;  this  contracting,  presses  it  into 
the  (Esophagus  or  gullet ;  this  also  contracting, 
propels  it  into  the  stomach,  which,  after  its  due  di- 
gestion aided  by  the  gastric  juice,  similarly  con- 
tracting, transmits  whatever  portion  of  it,  now 
called  chyme,  is  sufficiently  comminuted  to  pass 
through  its  lower  opening,  the  pylorus,  into  the  in- 
testines ;  these,  at  the  commencement  of  which  it 
receives  the  bile  and  pancreatic  juice,  similarly 
pressing  it  on  all  sides,  urge  forward  its  most  solid 
part  to  the  anus  ;  while  its  liquid  portion  partly  es- 
capes from  the  pressure  into  the  mouths  of  the  ab 

•  Appendix  E. 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   PRINCIPLES.  147 

sorbents.  The  absorbents  arising  by  niinute  open- 
ings from  all  the  internal  surfaces,  and  continuing 
a  similar  contractile  motion,  transmit  it,  now  called 
chyle,  by  all  their  gradually-enlarging  branches,  and 
through  their  general  trunk,  the  thoracic  duct, 
where  it  is  blended  with  the  lymph  brought  from 
other  parts,  into  the  great  veins  contiguous  to  the 
heart,  where  it  is  mixed  with  the  venous  or  return- 
ing and  dark-colored  blood,  and  whence  it  flows 
into  the  anterior  side  of  that  organ.  The  anterior 
side  of  the  heart,  forcibly  repeating  this  contraction, 
propels  it,  commixed  with  the  venous  bloody  into 
the  lungs,  which  perform  the  office  of  respiration, 
and  in  some  rheasure  of  sanguification  ;  there,  giv- 
ing off  carbonaceous  matter,  and  assuming  a  ver- 
milion hue  and  new  vivifying  properties,  it  flows 
back  as  artetial  blood,  into  the  posterior  side  of  the 
heart.  The  posterior  side  of  the  heart,  still  simi- 
larly contracting,  discharges  it  into  the  arteries  ; 
these,  maintaining  a  like  contraction,  carry  it  over 
all  the  system  ;  and  a  great  portion  of  it,  impreg- 
nated tvitli  carbon,  and  of  a  dark  color,  returns 
through  the  veins  in  order  to  undergo  the  same 
course.  Much,  however,  of.  its  gelatinous  and 
fibrous  parts  is  retained  in  the  cells  of  the  paren- 
chyma, or  cellular,  vascular,  and  nervous  substance 
forming  the  basis  of  the  whole  fabric,  and  consti- 
tutes nutrition,  properly  so  called ;  while  other 
portions  of  it  become  entangled  in  the  peculiarly- 
formed  labyrinths  of  the  glands,  and  form  secretion 
and  excretion — the  products  of  the  former  con- 
tributing to  the   exercise  of  other  functions,  and 


148  ANATOMICAL   AND 

those  of  the  latter  being  rejected.  As  digestion 
precedes  the  first,  so  generation  follows  the  last  of 
these  functions,  and  not  only  continues  the  same 
species  of  action,  but  propagates  it  widely  to  new 
existences  in  the  manner  just  described. 

In  the  thinking  functions,  the  organs  of  sense 
receive  external  impressions,  which  excite  in  them 
sensations  ;  the  cerebrum,  having  these  transmitted 
to  it,  performs  the  more  complicated  functions  of 
mental  operation,  whence  result  ideas,  emotions, 
and  passions;  and  the  cerebel, being  similarly  influ- 
enced, performs  the  function,  of  volition,  or  causes 
the  acts  of  the  will. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  consider  the  body  as  being 
divided  into  the  head,  the  trunk,  and  the  extremi- 
ties ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  hitherto  universal 
neglect  of  the  natural  arrangement  of  the  organs 
and  functions  into  locomotive,  nutritive,  and  think- 
ing, the  beauty  and  interest  which  may  be  attached 
to  this  division,  have  equally  escaped  the  notice  of 
anatomists. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  and  strongly  confirmative  of 
the  preceding  arrangements,  that  one  of  these 
parts,  the  extremities,  consists  almost  entirely  of 
locomotive  organs,  namely,  of  bones,  ligaments, 
and  muscles  ;  that  another,  the  trunk,  consists  of 
all  the  greater  nutritive  organs,  namely,  absorbents, 
blood-vessels,  and  glands ;  and  that  the  third,  the 
head,  contains  all  the  thinking  organs,  namely,  the 
organs  of  sense,  cerebrum,  and  cerebel.* 

•  In  perfect  consistency  •with  the  assertion,  that,  though  the 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   PRINCIPLES.  349 

It  is  a  fact  not  less  curious,  nor  lesfi  confirmative 
oF  the  preceding  arrangemepts,  that,  .of  these  parts, 
those  which  consist  chiefly  of  locomotive  or  me- 
chanical organs  —  organs  which,  as  to  mere  struc- 
ture, and  considered  apart  from  the  influence  of 
the  nervous  system  over  them,  are  common  to  us 
with  the  lowest  class  of  beings,  namely,  minerals* 
—  are  placed  in  the  lowest  situation,  namely,  the 
extremities ;  that  which  consists  chiefly  of  nutri- 
tive or  vital  organs  —  organs  common  to  us  with 
a  higher  class  of  beings,  namely,  vegetablesf  —  is 
placed  in  a  higher  situation,  namely,  the  trunk; 
and  that  which  consists  chiefly  of  thinking  or  men- 
tal organs  — organs  peculiar  to  the  highest  class  of 
beings,  namely,  animalsj  — is  placed  in  the  highest 
situation,  namely,  the  head. 

It  is  not  less  remarkable,  that  this  analogy  is 
supported  even  in  its  minutest  details ;  for,  to 
choose  the  nutritive  organs  contained  in  the  trunk 
as  an  illustration,  it  is  a  fact,  that  those  of  absorp- 
tion and  secretion,  which  are  most  common  to  us 


organs  of  digestion,  respiration,  and  generation,  were  really  com- 
pound, still  they  were  chiefly  nutritive  or  vital,  and  properly  be- 
longed to  that  class,  it  is  not  less  remarkable,  that,  in  this  division 
of  the  body,  they  are  found  to  occupy  that  part,  the  .trunk,  in 
wliich  the  chief  simple  nutritive  organs  are  contained. .  This  also 
shows- the  impropriety  of  reckoning  &ny  of  tliese  a  separate  system 
from  the  vital.  • 

.*  The  bones  resemble  these,  in  containing  the  greatest  quantity 
of  earthy  mineral  matter.  ■  ■ 

t  It  is  the  possession  »f  vessels  wliich  constitutes  the  vitality  of 
vegetables. 

X  Jn  animals,  alone,  is  nervous  matter  discoverable. 
13* 


150  ANATOMICAL    AND 

with  plants,  a  lower  class  of  beings,  have  a  lower 
situation  —  in  the  cavity  of  the  abdomen ;  while 
those  of  circulation,  which  are  very  imperfect  in 
plants,*  and  more  peculiar  to  animals,  a  higher 
class  of  beings,  hold  a  higher  situation  —  in  the 
cavity  of  the  thorax. 

It  is,  moreover,  worthy  of  remark,  and  still  illus- 
trative of  the  preceding  arrangements,  that,  in  each 
of  these  three  situations,  the  bones  differ  both  in 
position  and  in  form.  In  the  extremities,  they  are 
situated  internally  to  the  soft  parts,  and  are  gener- 
ally of  cylindrical  form  ;  in  the  trunk,  they  begin 
to  assume  a  more  external  situation  and  a  flatter 
form,  because  they  protect  nutritive  and  more  im- 
portant parts,  which  they  do  not,  however,  alto- 
gether cover ;  and,  in  the  head,  they  obtain  the 
most  external  situation  and  the  flattest  form,  espe- 
cially in  its  highest  part,  bcjause  they  protect 
thinking  and  most  important  organs,  which,  in 
some  parts,  they  completely  invest. 

The  loss  of  such  general  views  is  the  conse- 
quence of  arbitrary  methods.f 


•  Plants  have  no  real  circulation,  nor  passage  of  their  nutritive 
liquids  through  the  same  point. 

t  This  arrangement  of  anatomy  and  physiology  -was  first  pub- 
lished by  me  in  1806  ;  and,  notwithstanding  its  being  the  arrange- 
ment of  nature,  it  has  not  been  adopted  by  any  one  that  I  know 
of,  until  very  lately,  when  it  was  in  some  measure  used  by  Dr. 
Roget,  without  acknowledgment. 

The  originality,  as  well  as  the  truth  and  value,  of  this  arrange- 
ment, will  be  illustrated  by  referring  to  any  other  published  pre- 
vious to  1806,  or  even  to  1808,  when  I  republished  it  in  "  Prelim- 
inary Lectures,"  Edinburgh. 


PHYSIOLOGICAL   PRINCIPLES.  151 

We  may  now  apply  these  anatomical  and  physi- 
ological views  to  the  art  of  distinguishing  and 
judging  of  beauty  in  woman. 

It  is  evidently  the  locomotive  or  mechanical 
system  which  is  highly  developed  in  the  beauty 
whose  figure  is  precise,  striking,  and  brilliant. 

It  is  evidently  the  nutritive  or  vital  system  which 
is  highly  developed  in  the  beauty  whose  figure  is 
soft  and  voluptuous. 

It  is  not  less  evidently  the  thinking  or  mental 
system  which  is  highly  developed  in  the  beauty 
whose  figure  is  characterized  by  intellectuality  and 
grace. 

Thus  can  anatomical  principles  alone  at  once 
illustrate  and  establish  the  accuracy  of  the  three 
species  of  beauty  which  I  have  analytically  de- 
scribed. 


152  OF  THE  AGES  OF  WOMAN- 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF  THE  AGES  OF  WOMAN  IN  RELATION  TO  BEAUTY. 

The  variations  of  the  organization  of  woman  do 
not  distinctly  mark  the  seasons  of  life.  Many 
connected  phenomena  glide  on  imperceptibly;  and 
we  can  distinguish  the  strong  characters  of  differ- 
ent and  distinct  ages,  only  at  periods  remote  from 
each  other.  Although,  therefore,  woman  is  per- 
petually changing,  it  requires  some  care  to  dis- 
criminate the  principal  epochs  of  her  life. 

The  first  age  of  woman  extends  from  birth  to 
the  period  of  puberty. 

In  beginning  the  career  of  life,  woman  is  not  yet 
truly  woman ;  the  characters  of  her  sex  are  not 
yet  decided ;  she  is  an  equivocal  being,  who  does 
not  differ  from  the  male  of  the  same  age  even  by 
the  delicacy  of  the  organs  ;  and  we  observe  be- 
tween them  a  perfect  identity  of  wants,  functions, 
and  movements.  Theit  existence  is,  then,  purely 
individual ;  we  perceive  none  of  the  relations 
which  afterward  establish  between  them  a  mutual 
dependance  ;  each  lives  only  for  self. 

This  conformity  and  independence  of  the  sexes 
are  the  more  remarkable,  the  earlier  the  age  and 
the  less  advanced  the  development. 


IN  RELATION  TO  BEAUTY.  153 

Confining  our  view  to  woman  alone,  it  is  not 
only  in  dimensions  that,  at  this  age,  her  person 
differs  from  that  in  which  the  growth  is  termi- 
nated: it  presents  another  model.  The  various 
parts  have  not,  in  relation  to  each  other,  the  same 
proportions. 

The  head  is  much  more  voluminous ;  and  this 
is  not  a  result  of  the  extent  of  the  face,  for  that  is 
small  and  contracted,  because  the  apparatus  of 
smell  and  of  mastication  are  not  yet  developed. 
Nor  is  the  head  only  more  voluminous;  it  is  also 
more  active,  and  forms  a  centre  toward  which  is 
directed  all  the  effort  of  life. 

The  spine  of  the  back  has  not  either  the  minuter 
prominences  or  the  general  inflexions  which  favor 
the  action  of  the  extensor  muscles,  a  circumstance 
which  is  opposed  to  standing  perpendicularly  during 
the  first  months.  The  infant  consequently  can  only 
crawl  like  a  quadruped. 

Little  distinction  can  then  be  drawn,  and  that 
with  difficulty,  from  the  comparative  width  of  the 
haunches,  and  magnitude  of  the  pelvis.  That  part 
is  scarcely  more  developed  in  the  female  than  in 
the  male ;  its  general  form  is  the  same ;  and  its 
different  diameters  have  similar  relations  to  each 
other. 

The  length  of  the  trunk  is  great  in  proportion 
to  the  limbs,  which  are  slightly  and  imperfectly 
developed. 

Owing  to  the  great  length  of  the  chest,  and  the 
imperfection  of  the  inferior  members,  the  middle 
of  th^  body  then  corresponds  to  the  region  of  the 


154  OF    THE    AGES    OF    WOMAN 

umbilicus.  An  infant  having  other  proportions, 
would  appear  to  be  deprived  of  the  characters  of 
its  age. 

In  the  locomotive  system,  the  muscles  have  not 
yet  acted  with  sufficient  power  and  frequency  to 
modify  the  direction  of  the  bones,  and  to  bestow  a 
peculiar  character  upon  their  combination  in  the 
skeleton.  The  fleshy  and  other  soft  parts  do  not 
yet  appear  to  differ  from  those  of  the  male,  either 
as  to  form  or  as  to  relative  volume. 

The  vital  functions  of  digestion,  of  circulation 
and  respiration,  of  nutrition,  secretion,  and  excre- 
tion, "are  performed  in  the  same  manner.  The 
want  of  nourishment  is  unceasingly  renewed,  and 
the  movements  of  the  pulse,  and  of  inspiration  and 
expiration,  are  rapidly  performed,  owing  to  the 
extreme  irritability  of  all  the  organs. 

The  mental  functions  present  the  same  resem- 
blance ;  the  ideas,  the  appetites,  the  passions,  have 
the  greatest  analogy ;  and  similar  moral  disposi- 
tions prevail.  Little  girls,  it  has  been  observed, 
have  in  some  measure  the  petulance  of  little  boys, 
and  these  have  in  some  measure  the  mobility  and 
the  inconstancy  of  little  girls. 

Owing  to  the  pelvis  not  being  yet  developed, 
little  girls  walk  nearly  like  children  of  the  other 
seX. 

These  points  of  resemblance  do  not  continue 
during  a  long  period :  the  female  begins  to  acquire 
a  distinct  physiognomy,  and  traits  which  are  pecu- 
liar to  her,  long  before  we  can  discern  any  of  the 
symptoms  of  puberty ;  and  although  the  especial 


IN   RELATION    TO    BEAXTTY.  155 

marks  which  distinguish  her  sex  do  not  yet  show 
themselves,  the  general  forms  which  characterize 
it  may  he  perceived.  These  differences,  however, 
are  only  slight  modifications,  more  easily  felt  than 
determined. 

The  cartilaginous  extremities  of  the  bones  ap- 
pear to  enlarge  ;  and  the  mucous  substance,  which 
ultimately  gives  the  soft  reliefs  which  distinguish 
woman,  is  not  yet  secreted.  She  is  now  perhaps 
more  easily  distinguished  by  the  nature  of  her  in- 
clinations and  the  general  character  of  her  mind : 
while  man  now  seeks  to  make  use  of  his  strength, 
woman  endeavors  to  acquire  agreeable  arts.  The 
movements^  the  gait,  of  the  little  girl  begin  to 
change. 

These  shades  are  so  much  the  more  sensible  as 
the  development  is  more  advanced.  Still,  woman, 
in  advancing  toward  puberty,  appears  to  remove 
less  than  man  from  her  primitive  constitution ;  she 
alwayspreservessomething  of  the  character  proper 
to  children;  and  the  texture  of  her  organs  never 
loses  all  its  original  softness. 

At  the  near  approach  to  puberty,  woman  becomes 
daily  more  perfect. 

We  observe  a  predominance  of  the  action  of  the 
lungs  and  the  arteries  ;  the  pelvis  enlarges  ;  the 
haunches  are  rounded ;  and  the  figure  acquires 
elegance. 

There  is  in  particular  a  remarkable  increase  of 
the  capacity  of  the  pelvis,  of  which  the  circum- 
ference at  last  presents  the  circular  form ;.  it  being 
no  longer,  as  in  the  little  girl  and  in  man,  the  an- 


156  OF  THE  AGES  OF  WOMAN 

teroposterior  diameter  which  is  the  greatest,  but 
the  transverse  one.  It  has  been  observed  that  the 
same  occurs  in  the  females  of  the  greater  quad- 
rupeds. The  pelvis,  however,  does  not  acquire, 
till  the  moment  of  perfect  puberty,  its  proper  form 
and  dimensions. 

The  changes  which  the  same  cause  produces  at 
the  surface,  are  a  general  development  of  the  cel- 
lular tissue,  the  delicacy  of  all  the  outlines,  the 
fineness  and  the  animation  of  the  skin,  and  the  new 
state  of  the  bosom. 

The  fire  of  the  eyes,  and  the  altogether  new  ex- 
pression of  the  physiognomy,  show  that  there  now 
also  exists  the  sensation  of  a  new  want,  which 
various  circumstances  may  for  a  time  enfeeble  or 
silence,  but  can  never  entirely  stifle ;  and  with  it 
come  those  tastes,  that  direction  of  the  mind,  and 
those  habits,  which  are  the  effect  of  an  internal 
power  now  called  into  activity. 

The  gait  and  bearing  of  woman  are  now  no  longer 
the  same ;  and  the  voice  changes  as  well  as  the 
physiognomy. 

In  all  that  has  yet  occurred,  it  will  be  observed 
that  nutrition  and  growth  take  place  with  great 
rapidity  in  woman.  Her  internal  structure,  her 
external  form,  her  faculties,  are  all  developed 
promptly.  It  would  appear  that  the  parts  which 
compose  her  body,  being  less,  less  compact,  and 
less  strong,  than  those  of  man,  require  less  time  to 
attain  their  complete  development.  • 

Woman  consequently  arrives  earlier  at  the  age 
of  puberty,  and  her  body  is  commonly,  at  twenty 


IN  RELATION  TO  BEATTTY.  157 

years  of  age,  as  completely  formed  as  that  of  a 
man  at  thirty.  Thus  beauty  and  grace,  as  has  been 
observed,  seem  to  demand  of  nature  less  labor 
and  time  than  the  attributes  of  force  and  grandeur. 

In  many  women,  however,  nutrition  languishes 
even  until  the  sexual  organs  enter  into  action,  and 
determine  a  revolution  under  the  influence  of  which 
growth  is  accomplished. 

Still  it  is  certain  that,  for  several  years,  the 
locomotive  system  predominates  in  young  women, 
even  in  figures  promising  the  ultimate  development 
of  the  vital  system  in  the  highest  degree. 

The  second  age  of  woman  extends  from  puberty 
to  the  cessation  of  the  menses,  or,  we  may  say, 
from  the  period  of  full  growth,  the  general  time  of 
bearing  children,  to  the  time  of  ceasing  to  bear  — 
generally  perhaps  from  twenty  to  forty. 

It  is  at  the  beginning  of  this  period  that  woman 
has  acquired  all  her  attributes,  her  most  seducing 
graces.  She  is  not  now  distinguished  merely  by 
the  organs  which  are  the  direct  instruments  of 
reproduction  :  many  other  differences  of  structure, 
having  a  relation  to  her  part  in  life,  present  them- 
selves to  our  view. 

At  this  maturer  age,  the  whole  figure  is,  in  the 
female,  smaller  and  slenderer  than  in  the  male. 
The  ancients  accordingly  gave  seven  heads  and  a 
half  to  the  Venus,  and  eight  heads  and  some  mod- 
ules to  the  Apollo. 

The  relations  between  the  dimensions  of  the 
different  parts  differ  also  in  the  two  sexes. 

In  woman,  the  head,  shoulders,  and  chest,  are 
U 


158  OF  THE  AGES  OF  WOMAN 

small  and  compact,  while  the  haunches,  the  hips, 
the  thighs,  and  the  parts  connected  with  the  abdo- 
men, are  ample  and  large.  Hence,  her  body  tapers 
upward,  as  her  limbs  taper  downward.  And  this 
is  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  in  her  gen- 
eral form. 

Owing  to  smaller  stature,  and  to  greater  size  of 
the  abdominal  region,  the  middle  point,  which  is 
at  the  pubis  in  the  male,  is  situated  higher  in  the 
female.  This  is  the  next  remarkable  circumstance 
in  a  general  view. 

The  inferior  members  still  continue  shorter. 

In  general,  woman  is  not  only  less  in  stature, 
and  different  in  her  general  proportions,  but  her 
haunches  are  more  apart,  her  hips  more  elevated, 
her  abdomen  larger,  her  members  more  rounded, 
her  soft  parts  less  compact,  her  forms  more  soft- 
ened, her  traits  finer. 

During  youth,  especially,  and  among  civilized 
nations,  woman  is  farther  distinguished  by  the 
softness,  the  smoothness,  the  delicacy,  and  the 
polish,  of  all  the  forms,  by  the  gradual  and  easy 
transitions  between  all  the  parts,  by  the  number 
and  the  harmony  of  the  undulating  lines  which 
these  present  in  every  view,  by  the  beautiful  out- 
line of  the  reliefs,  and  by  the  fineness  and  the  ani- 
mation of  the  skin. 

The  soft  parts  which  enter  into  the  composition 
of  woman,  and  the  cellular  tissue  which  serves  to 
unite  them,  are  also  more  delicate  and  more  sup- 
ple than  those  of  man. 

All   these  circumstances  indicate  very   clearly 


IN  RELATION  TO  BEAUTY.  159 

the  passive  state  to  which  nature  has  destined 
woman,  and  which  will  he  fully  illustrated  in  a  fu- 
ture volume. 

If,  in  a  living  hody,  any  part  liable  to  be  dis- 
tended had  too  much  firmness,  or  even  elasticity, 
it  might  press  against  some  essential  organ  ;  and 
the  liquids  being  impeded  in  their  course,  would 
in  that  case  be  speedily  altered,  if  the  neighboring 
parts  offered  not  flexible  vessels  for  their  recep- 
tion. 

Now,  in  the  body  of  woman,  certain  parts  are 
exposed  to  suffer  great  distentions  and  compres- 
sions. It  is  therefore  necessary  that  her  organs 
should  be  of  such  structure  as  to  yield  readily  to 
these  impressions,  and  to  supply  each  other  when 
their  respective  functions  are  impeded. 

From  this  it  follows,  that  woman  never  enjoys 
existence  better,  than  when  a  moderate  plumpness 
bestows  on  her  organs,  without  too  much  weak- 
ening them,  all  the  suppleness  of  which  they  are 
capable. 

This  leads  to  the  consideration  of  the  natural 
mobility  of  the  organs  of  woman. 

Their  mobility  is  a  necessary  consequence,  in 
the  first  place,  of  their  littleness.  The  movements 
of  all  animals,  appear  to  be  executed  with  more 
rapidity,  the  less  their  bulk.  It  has  been  observed, 
that  the  arteries  of  the  ox  beat  only  thirty-five 
times,  while  those  of  the  sheep  beat  sixty,  and  that 
the  pulse  of  women  is  smaller  and  more  rapid  than 
that  of  men. 

A  second   physical   quality,  which  concurs  tp 


160  OF  THE  AGES  OF  WOMAN 

render  more  mobile  the  various  parts  of  woman,  is 
their  softness. 

A  certain  feebleness  is  the  necessary  conse- 
quence of  these  two  circumstances.  But  it  is 
thence  that  spring  woman's  suppleness  and  light- 
ness of  movement,  and  her  capacity  for  grace  of 
attitude. 

It  has  been  conjectured,  that  even  the  elements 
of  the  parts  which  constitute  woman,  have  a  par- 
ticular organization,  on  which  depends  the  ele- 
gance of  the  forms,  the  vivacity  of  the  sensations, 
and  the  lightness  of  the  movements,  which  charac- 
terize her. 

The  result  of  these  circumstances  is  that,  while 
man  possesses  force  and  majesty,  woman  is  distin- 
guished by  beauty  and  grace.  The  characteristics 
of  woman  are  less  imposing  and  more  amiable ; 
they  inspire  less  admiration  than  love.  As  has 
been  observed,  a  single  trait  of  rudeness,  a  severe 
air,  or  even  the  character  of  majesty,  would  injure 
the  effect  of  womanly  beauty.  Lucian  admirably 
represents  to  us  the  god  of  love  frightened  at  the 
masculine  air  of  Minerva. 

While  man,  by  force  and  activity,  surmounts  the 
obstacles  which  embarrass  him,  woman,  by  yield- 
ing, withdraws  from  their  action,  and  adds  to  beau- 
ty, a  gentle  and  winning  grace  which  places  all  the 
vaunted  power  of  man  at  her  disposal. 

It  is  evidently  the  influence  of  the  organs  distin- 
guishing the  two  sexes,  which  is  the  primary  cause 
of  their  peculiar  beauty. 

As  the  liquid  which,  in  man,  is  secreted  in  cer- 


IN  BELATION  TO  BEAUTY.  Ifrl 

tain  vessels  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction,  com- 
municates a  general  excitement  and  activity  to  the 
character,  so  when,  in  woman,  the  periodical  ex- 
cretion appears,  the  breasts  expand,  the  eyes 
sparkle,  the  countenance  becomes  more  expres- 
sive, but  at  the  same  time  more  timid  and  reserved, 
and  a  character  of  flexibility  and  grace  distin- 
guishes every  motion. 

Conformably  with  this  view,  the  appearance  and 
the  manners  of  eunuchs  approach  to  those  of  wo- 
men, by  the  softness  and  feebleness  of  their  organ- 
ization, as  well  as  by  their  timidity,  and  by  their 
acute  voice. 

The  very  opposite  is  naturally  the  result  of  the 
extirpation  of  the  ovaries  in  women.  Pott,  giving 
an  account  of  the  case  of  a  female,  in  whom  both 
the  ovaries  were  extirpated,  says,  the  person  "  has 
become  thinner,  and  more  apparently  muscular ; 
her  breasts,  which  were  large,  are  gone  ;  nor  has 
she  ever  menstruated  since  the  operation,  which 
is  now  some  years."  Haighton  found  that,  by 
dividing  the  Fallopian  tubes,  which  connect  the 
ovaries  with  the  womb,  sexual  feelings  were  de- 
stroyed, and  the  ovaries  gradually  wasted. 

The  women,  also,  in  whom  the  uterus  and  the 
ovaries  remain  inert  during  life,  approximate  in 
forms  and  habits  to  men.  It  is  stated,  in  the  Philo- 
sophical Transactions  for  1805,  that  an  adult  fe- 
male, in  whom  the  ovaries  were  defective,  presented 
a  corresponding  defect  in  the  state  of  the  consti- 
tution. 

To  the  same  general  principle,  it  has  been  ob- 
14* 


162  OF   THE   AGES   OF   WOMAN 

served,  we  must  refer  the  partial  growth  of  a  beard 
on.  females  in  the  decline  of  life,  and  the  circum- 
stance that  female-birds,  when  they  have  ceased  to 
lay  eggs,  occasionally  assume  the  plumage,  and,  to 
a  certain  extent,  the  other  characters  of  the  male. 

Under  the  influence  of  this  cause,  the  first  exer- 
cise of  her  new  faculty  determines  remarkable 
modifications  in  woman.  Her  neck  swells  and 
augments  in  size  — 

"  Non  illam  nutris  orient!  luce  revisens 
Hesterao  coUum  poterit  circumdare  filo  ;• 

her  voice  assumes  another  expression ;  her  moral 
habits  totally  change :  and  many  women  owe  to 
love  and  marriage  more  splendid  beauty. 

The  women  thus  happily  constituted  are  not  those 
of  hot  climates,  but  those  of  cooler  regions  and 
calmer  temperament,  whose  placid  features  and 
more  elastic  forms  announce  a  gentler  and  more 
passive  love. 

Impassioned  women,  on  the  contrary,  do  not  so 
long  preserve  their  freshness  :  the  expansive  force, 


•  The  cause  of  this  has  never  been  explained  j  and  it  could  not 
well  be  explained,  without  a  perception  of  the  views  in  my  prece- 
ding physiological  arrangement. — The  brain,  at  this  period,  be- 
comes more  subservient  to  purposes  connected  with  generation ; 
the  communication  between  the  trunk  and  the  head  is  more  fre- 
quent, intense,  and  sustained ;  and  the  neck,  which  contains  the 
communicating  organs,  necessarily  increases  in  size.  This  unex- 
plained circumstance  led  to  the  mistake  of  the  craniologists  re- 
specting the  cerebel.  Here,  therefore,  as  in  other  cases  pointed 
out  in  my  work  on  Physiognomy,  Gall  and  Spurzheim  ascribe  to 
deeper-seated  organs  what  belongs  to  more  superficial  ones. 


IN  RELATION  TO  BEAUTY.  163 

from  which  the  organs  derived  their  form  and  col- 
oring', abates ;  and  a  less  agreeable  flaccidity  suc- 
ceeds to  the  elasticity  with  which  they  were  en- 
dowed, if  the  plumpness  which  adult  age  commonly 
brings  does  not  sustain  them. 

During  pregnancy  and  suckling,  the  firstmention- 
ed  class  of  women  retain  a  remarkable  freshness 
and  plumpness. 

The  lastmentioned  class  of  women  most  fre- 
quently become  meager,  and  lose  their  freshness 
during  the  continuance  of  these  states. 

If,  however,  during  these  states,  suitable  precau- 
tions and  preservative  cares  be  not  employed,  it  is 
the  first  class  who  most  suffer  from  traces  of  ma- 
ternity. 

Conception,  pregnancy,  delivery,  and  suckling, 
being  renewed  more  or  less  frequently  during  the 
second  age,  hasten  debility  in  feeble  and  ill-consti- 
tuted women  ;  especially  if  misery  or  an  improper 
mode  of  life  increase  the  influence  of  these  causes. 

In  the  third  age  of  woman,  extending  generally 
from  forty  to  sixty,  the  physical ,  form  does  not 
suddenly  deteriorate  ;  and,  as  has  often  been  ob- 
served, "  when  premature  infirmities  or  misfor- 
tunes, the  exercise  of  an  unfavorable  profession,  or 
a  wrong  employment  of  life,  have  not  hastened 
old  age,  women  during  the  third  age  preserve  many 
of  the  charms  of  the  preceding  one." 

At  this  period,  in  well-constituted  women,  the 
fat,  being  absorbed  with  less  activity,  is  accumula- 
ted in  the  cellular  tissue  under  the  skin  and  else- 
where ;  and  this  effaces  any  wrinkles  which  might 


164  OF    THE    AGES    OF    WOMAN 

have  begun  to  furrow  the  skin,  rounds  the  outlines 
anew,  and  again  restores  an  air  of  youth  and  fresh- 
ness. Hence,  this  period  is  called  "  the  age  of 
return." 

This  plumpness,  though  juvenile  lightness  and 
freshness  be  wanting,  sustains  the  forms,  and 
sometimes  confers  a  majestic  air,  which,  in  women 
otherwise  favorably  organized,  still  interests  for  a 
number  of  years. 

The  shape  certainly  is  no  longer  so  elegant ;  the 
articulations  have  less  elasticity ;  the  muscles  are 
more  feeble  ;  the  movements  are  less  light ;  and  in 
plump  women  we  observe  those  broken  motions, 
and  in  meager  ones  that  stifihess,  which  mark  the 
walk  or  the  dance  at  that  age. 

At  this  period  occurs  a  remarkable  alteration  in 
the  organs  of  voice.  Women,  therefore,  to  whom 
singing  is  a  profession,  ought  to  limit  its  exercise. 

When  women  pass  happily  from  the  third  to  the 
fourth  age,  their  constitution,  as  every  one  must 
have  observed,  changes  entirely ;  it  becomes 
stronger:  and  nature  abandons  to  individual  life 
all  the  rest  of  existence. 

Beauty,  however,  is  no  more ;  form  and  shape 
have  disappeared ;  the  plumpness  which  supported 
the  reliefs  has  abandoned  them  ;  the  sinkings  and 
wrinkles  are  multiplied  ;  the  skin  has  lost  its  polish ; 
color  and  freshness  have  fled  for  ever. 

These  injuries  of  time,  it  has  been  observed, 
commonly  begin  by  the  abdomen,  which  loses  its 
polish  and  its  firmness ;  the  hemispheres  of  the 
bosom  no  longer  sustain  themselves ;  the  clavicles 


IN  RELATION  TO  BEAUTY.  165 

project ;  the  neck  becomes  meager  ;  all  the  reliefs 
are  effaced  ;  all  the  forms  are  altered  from  round- 
ness and  softness  to  angularity  and  hardness. 

That  which,  amid  these  ruins,  still  survives  for  a 
long  time,  is  the  entireness  of  the  hair,  the  placidi- 
ty or  the  fineness  of  the  look,  the  air  of  sentiment, 
the  amiable  expression  of  the  countenance,  and,  in 
women  of  elegant  mind  and  great  accomplishments, 
caressing  manners  and  charming  graces,  which  al- 
most make  us  forget  youth  and  beauty. 

Finally,  and  especially  in  muscular  or  nervous 
women,  the  temperament  changes,  and  the  consti- 
tution of  woman  approaches  to  that  of  man ;  the 
organs  become  rigid ;  and,  in  some  unhappy  cases, 
a  beard  protrudes. 

Old  age  and  decrepitude  finally  succeed. 


166         OF   THE   CAUSES   OF   BEAUTy   IN   WOMAN. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OF   THE    CAUSES    OF    BEAUTY   IN   WOMAN. 

The  crossing  of  races  is  often  spoken  of  as  a 
means  of  perfecting  the  form  of  man,  and  of  de- 
veloping beauty ;  and  we  are  told  that  it  is  in  this 
manner  that  the  Persians  have  become  a  beautiful 
people,  and  that  many  tribes  of  Tartar  origin  have 
been  improved,  especially  the  Turks,  who  now  pre- 
sent to  us  scarcely  anything  of  the  Mongol. 

In  these  general  and  vague  statements,  however, 
the  mere  crossing  of  different  races  is  always  deem- 
ed sufficient ;  whereas,  every  improvement  depends 
on  the  circumstance  that  the  organization  of  the 
races  subjected  to  this  operation  is  duly  suited  to 
each  other.  It  is  in  that  way  only,  that  we  can  ex- 
plain the  following  facts  stated  by  Moreau  : — 

In  one  of  the  great  to^vns  of  the  north  of  France, 
the  women,  half  a  century  ago,  were  rather  ugly 
than  pretty  ;  but  a  detachment  of  the  guards  being 
quartered  there,  and  remaining  during  several 
years,  the  population  changed  in  appearance,  and, 
favored  by  this  circumstance,  the  town  is  now  in- 
debted to  strangers  for  the  beauty  of  the  most  in- 
teresting portion  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  monks  of  Citeaux  exercised  an  influence  no 


OF   THE    CAUSES   OF   BEAtTTY   IN   WOMAN.  167 

less  remarkable  upon  the  beauty  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  country  around  their  monastery  ;  and  it  may 
be  stated,  as  the  result  of  actual  observation,  that 
the  young  female-peasants  of  their  neighborhood 
were  much  more  beautiful  than  those  of  other 
cantons.  And,  adds  this  writer,  "  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  same  effect  occurred  in  the  different 
places  whither  religious  houses  attracted  foreign 
inmates,  whom  love  and  pleasure  speedily  united 
with  the  indigenous  inhabitants  !" 

The  other  circumstances  which  contribute  to 
female  beauty,  are,  a  mild  climate,  a  fertile  soil,  a 
generous  but  temperate  diet,  a  regular  mode  of 
life,  favorable  education,  the  guidance  and  sup- 
pression of  passions,  easy  manners,  good  moral, 
social,  and  political  institutions,  and  occupations 
which  do  not  injure  the  beautiful  proportions  of 
the  bodj^ 

Beauty,  accordingly,  is  more  especially  to  be 
found  in  certain  countries.  Thus,  as  has  often 
been  observed,  the  sanguine  temperament  is  that 
of  the  nations  of  the  north  ;  the  phlegmatic  is  that 
of  cold  and  moist  countries ;  and  the  bilious  is  that 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  southern 
regions.  Each  of  these  has  its  degree  and  modifi- 
cation of  beauty. 

The  native  country  of  beauty  is  not  to  be  found 
either  in  regions  where  cold  freezes  up  the  living 
juices,  or  in  those  where  the  animal  structure  is 
withered  by  heat.  A  climate  removed  from  the 
excessive  influence  of  both  these  causes  constitutes 
an  essential  condition  in  the  production  of  beauty ; 


168         OF    THE    CAUSES    OF    BEAUTY    IN    WOMAN. 

and  this,  with  its  effect,  we  find  between  the  35th 
and  65th  degree  of  northern  latitude,  in  Persia,  the 
countries  bordering  upon  Caucasus,  and  principally 
Tchercassia,  Georgia  and  Mongrelia,  Turkey  in 
Europe  and  Asia,  Greece,  Italy,  some  part  of  Spain, 
a  very  small  part  of  France,  England,  Holland, 
some  parts  of  Germany,  Poland,  Denmark,  Sweden, 
and  a  part  of  Norway  and  even  of  Russia, 

Even  under  the  same  degree  of  latitude,  it  is  ob- 
served that  the  position  of  the  place,  its  elevation, 
its  vicinity  to  the  sea,  the  direction  of  the  winds, 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  all  the  peculiarities  of 
locality  which  constitute  the  climate  proper  to  each 
place,  occasion  great  differences  in  beauty. 

In  relation  to  the  causes  of  beauty,  some  obser- 
Tations  which  seem  to  be  important,  arise  out  of 
the  remarks  of  de  Pauw  on  the  Greeks. 

De  Pauw  endeavored  to  show,  that,  though  the 
men  of  ancient  Greece  were  handsome,  the  women 
of  that  country  were  never  beautiful.  He  thence 
accounted  for  the  excessive  admiration  which  there 
prevailed  of  courtesans  from  Ionia,  &;c. 

This,  however,  was  so  contrary  to  the  notions 
formed  of  the  beauty  of  that  people  from  what  was 
known  of  their  taste,  that  it  was  considered  as  a 
paradox.  Travellers,  accordingly,  sought  for  such 
beauty  in  the  women  of  modern  Greece.  They 
were  disappointed  in  not  finding  it. 

What  rendered  this  the  more  remarkable  was, 
that  in  various  places  they  found  the  ancient  and 
beautiful  cast  of  countenance  among  the  men,  and 
not   among   the   women   of   that    country  —  thus 


OF    THE    CAUSES   OF    BEAUTY   IN   WOMAN.         169 

corroborating  in  all  respects  the  doctrine  of  de 
Pauw. 

On  considering  that  doctrine,  however,  and  com- 
paring it  with  more  extended  observations,  it  would 
seem  to  be  only  a  particular  application  of  a  more 
general  law  unknown  to  de  Pauw  —  that,  in  most 
countries,  one  of  the  sexes  excels  the  other  in 
beauty. 

Thus,  in  some  parts  of  the  highlands  of  Scotland, 
we  find  the  men  as  remarkable  for  beauty  as  the 
women  for  ugliness ;  while,  in  some  eastern  coun- 
ties of  England,  we  find  precisely  the  reverse. 
The  strong  features,  the  dark  curled  hair,  and  the 
muscular  form,  of  the  highlander,  are  as  unsuitable 
to  the  female  sex,  as  the  soft  features,  the  flaxen 
hair,  and  the  short  and  tapering  limbs,  of  the  woman 
of  the  eastern  coast,  are  unsuitable  to  the  male. 

If  the  soil,  climate,  and  productions,  of  these 
countries  be  considered,  we  discover  the  causes 
of  the  differences  alluded  to.  The  hardships  of 
mountain  life  are  favorable  to  the  stronger  de- 
velopment of  the  locomotive  system,  which  ought 
more  or  less  to  characterize  the  male  ;  and  the 
luxuriance  of  the  plains  is  favorable  to  those  de- 
velopments of  the  nutritive  system,  which  ought 
to  characterize  the  female. 

This  is  illustrated  even  in  inferior  animals. 
Oxen  become  large-bodied  and  fat  in  low  and  rich 
soils,  but  are  remarkable  for  shortness  of  legs ; 
while,  in  higher  and  drier  situations,  the  bulk  of 
the  body  is  less,  and  the  limbs  are  stronger  and 
more  muscular. 

15 


170         OF   THE    CAUSES    OF   BEATTTY   IN   WOMAN. 

The  quantity  and  quality  of  the  aliments  are  an- 
other cause,  not  less  powerful  in  regard  to  beauty. 
Abundance,  or  rather  a  proper  mediocrity,  as  to 
nutritious  food,  contributes  to  perfection  in  this 
respect. 

Beauty  is  also,  in  some  measure,  a  result  of 
civilization.  Women,  accordingly,  of  consummate 
beauty,  are  found  only  in  civilized  nations. 

Professions  can  rarely  be  said  to  favor  beauty ; 
but  they  do  not  impede  its  development  when  their 
exercise  does  not  compel  to  laborious  employ- 
ments an  organization  suited  only  to  sedentary 
occupations. 


OF   THE    STANDARD   OF    BEAUTY   IN   WOMAN.       171 


CHAPTER  X. 

OF   THE    STANDARD    OF   BEATTTY  IN   WOMAN. 

The  ideas  of  the  beautiful  vary  in  different  in- 
dividuals, and  in  different  nations.  Hence,  many 
men  of  talent  have  thought  them  altogether  relative 
and  arbitrary, 

"  Ask,"  says  Voltaire,  "  a  Negro  of  Guinea  [what 
is  beauty]  :  the  beautiful  is  for  him  a  black  oily 
skin,  deep-seated  eyes,  and  a  broad  flat  nose." 

"  Perfect  beauty,"  says  Payne  Knight,  "  taking 
perfect  in  its  most  strict,  and  beauty  in  its  most 
comprehensive  signification,  ought  to  be  equally 
pleasing  to  all ;  but  of  this,  instances  are  scarcely 
to  be  found :  for,  as  to  taking  them,  or,  indeed,  any 
examples  for  illustration,  from  the  other  sex  of  our 
own  species,  it  is  extremely  fallacious ;  as  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  all  male  animals  think  the 
females  of  their  own  species  the  most  beautiful 
productions  of  nature.  At  least  we  know  this  to  be 
the  case  among  the  different  varieties  of  men,  whose 
respective  ideas  of  the  beauty  of  their  females  are 
as  widely  different  as  those  of  man,  and  any  other 
animal,  can  be.  The  sable  Africans  view  with  pity 
and  contempt  the  marked  deformity  of  the  Europe- 
ans ;  whose  mouths  are  compressed,  their  noses 


172      OF   THE    STANDARD    OF   BEAUTY   IN   WOMAN. 

pinched,  their  cheeks  shrunk,  their  hair  rendered 
lank  and  flimsy,  their  bodies  lengthened  and  emaci- 
ated, and  their  skins  unnaturally  bleached  by  shade 
and  seclusion,  and  the  baneful  influence  of  a  cold 
humid  climate.  .  .  .  Who  shall  decide  which  party 
is  right,  or  which  is  wrong ;  or  whether  the  black 
or  white  model  be,  according  to  the  laws  of  nature, 
the  most  perfect  specimen  of  a  perfect  woman  1  .  . 
The  sexual  desires  of  brutes  are  probably  more 
strictly  natural  inclinations,  and  less  changed  or 
modified  by  the  influence  of  acquired  ideas,  or 
social  habits,  than  those  of  any  race  of  mankind  ; 
but  their  desires  seem,  in  general,  to  be  excited 
by  smell,  rather  than  by  sight  or  contact.  If, 
however,  a  boar  can  think  a  sow  the  sweetest  and 
most  lovely  of  living  creatures,  we  can  have  no 
difficulty  in  believing  that  he  also  thinks  her  the 
most  beautiful." 

"  Among  the  various  reasons,"  says  Reynolds, 
"  why  we  prefer  one  part  of  nature's  works  to  an- 
other, the  most  general,  I  believe,  is  habit  and  cus- 
tom ;  custom  makes,  in  a  certain  sense,  white  black, 
and  black  white  j  it  i«  custom  alone  determines  our 
preference  of  the  color  of  the  Europeans  to  the 
Ethiopians,  and  they,  for  the  same  reason,  prefer 
their  own  color  to  ours.  I  suppose  nobody  will 
doubt,  if  one  of  their  painters  were  to  paint  the 
goddess  of  beauty,  but  that  he  would  represent  her 
black,  with  thick  lips,  flat  nose,  and  woolly  hair ; 
and  it  seems  to  me,  he  would  act  very  unnaturally 
if  he  did  not ;  for  by  what  criterion  will  any  one 
dispute  the  propriety  of  his  idea  1    We  indeed  sayi 


OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN.         173 

that  the  form  and  color  of  the  European  are  pre- 
ferable to  those  of  the  Ethiopian ;  but  I  know  of 
no  other  reason  we  have  for  it,  but  that  we  are 
more  accustomed  to  it." 

The  coquetry  of  several  tribes,  it  has  been  ob- 
served, leads  them  to  mutilate  and  disfigure  them- 
selves, to  flatten  their  forehead,  to  enlarge  their 
mouth  and  ears,  to  blacken  their  skin,  and  cover  it 
with  the  marks  of  suffering. — We  make  ugliness 
in  that  way,  says  Montaigne. 

But,  to  confine  our  observations  to  individual  na- 
tions, and  these  civilized  ones ;  we  every  day  see 
irregular  or  even  common  figures  preferred  to 
those  which  the  enlightened  judge  deems  beautiful. 

How,  then,  it  is  asked,  amid  these  different  tastes, 
these  opposite  opinions,  are  we  to  admit  ideas  of 
absolute  beauty  1 

These  are  the  strongest  objections  against  all 
ideas  of  absolute  and  essential  beauty  in  woman. 

To  establish,  in  opposition  to  these  objections, 
a  standard  of  womanly  beauty,  equal  talent  has 
been  employed ;  but  the  reasoning,  though  suffi- 
cient for  such  objections,  has  been  rather  of  a  vague 
description.  As,  however,  the  subject  is  of  great 
importance,  I  shall  endeavor  to  abridge  and  concen- 
trate the  arguments  of  which  it  consists,  before  I 
point  oul  the  surer  method  which  is  founded  on  the 
Elements  of  Beauty  already  established. 

To  refute  these  objections,  it  has  been  thought 
sufficient  to  examine  the  chief  conditions  which  are 
necessary,  in  order  to  appreciate  properly  the  im- 
pression of  those  combinations,  which  woman  pre- 
15* 


174       OF  THE    STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN. 

sents,  and  to  expose  the  principal  circumstances 
which  are  opposed  to  the  accuracy  of  opinions,  and 
judgments  respecting  them. 

The  conditions  necessary  to  enable  us  to  pro- 
nounce respecting  the  real  attributes  of  beauty,  are, 
first,  a  temperate  climate,  imder  which  nature  brings 
to  perfection  all  her  productions,  and  gives  to  their 
forms  and  functions,  generally,  and  to  those  of  man 
in  particular,  all  the  development  of  which  they  are 
capable,  without  excess  in  the  action  of  some,  and 
defect  in  that  of  others ;  —  secondly,  in  man  in  par- 
ticular, a  brain  capable  of  vigorous  thought,  sound 
judgment,  and  exquisite  taste  ;  —  and  thirdly,  a  very 
advanced  civilization,  without  which  these  faculties 
cannot  be  duly  exercised  or  attain  any  perfection. 

It  is  evident  enough  that  none  of  these  condi- 
tions are  to  be  met  with  in  the  whimsical  judgments 
and  tastes  of  many  nations. 

The  consequence  of  the  absence  of  these  con- 
ditions, in  relation  to  the  uncivilized  and  ignorant 
inhabitants  of  hot  climates,  is  marked  in  their 
deeming  characteristics  of  beauty,  the  thick  lips  of 
Negresses,  the  long  and  pendent  mammaj  of  the 
women  in  several  nations  both  of  Africa  and 
America,  or  the  gross  forms  of  those  of  Egypt. 

The  consequence  of  the  absence  of  these  con- 
ditions, in  relation  to  the  uncivilized  and  ignorant 
inhabitants  of  cold  climates,  is  equally  marked  in 
their  deeming  characteristics  of  beauty  the  short 
figures  of  the  women  of  icy  regions,  in  which,  de- 
prived of  the  vivifying  action  of  heat  and  light, 
living  beings  appear  only  in  a  state  of  deformity 


OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN.  WOMAN.         175 

and  alteration ;  and  in  their  similarly  deeming 
beautiful  the  obliquely-placed  eyes  of  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese,  and  the  crushed  nose  of  the  Cal- 
mucs,  &c.,  &c. 

Those  who  take  these  views,  which  are  true, 
though  somewhat  vague  and  inconclusive,  should, 
I  thiiik,  have  seen  and  added,  that  the  deviations 
from  beauty  in  the  forms  of  the  women  of  hot  cli- 
mates are  commonly  in  excess,-  owing  to  the  great 
development  of  organs  of  sense  or  of  sex ;  while 
the  deviations  from  beauty,  in  the  forms  of  the 
women  of  cold  climates,  are  commonly  in  defect, 
owing  ta  the  imperfect  development  of  organs  of 
sense,  and  of  the  general  figure. 

This  view  renders  it  more  clear  that  both  these 
kinds  of  deviation  are  deformities,  incompatible 
with  the  consistent  and  harmonious  development  of 
the  whole.  And  without  this  view,  the  preceding 
arguments  are  indeed  too  vague  to  be  easily  tenable. 

In  relation  more  especially  to  the  second  of  the 
preceding  conditions,  the  possession  of  a  brain  ca- 
pable of  vigorous  thought,  sound  judgment,  and 
exquisite  taste,  Hume  observes  that  the  same  ex- 
cellence of  faculties  which  contributes  to  the  im- 
provement of  reason,  the  same  clearness  of  con- 
ception, the  same  exactness  of  distinction,  the  same 
vivacity  of  apprehension,  are  essential  to  the  oper- 
ations of  true  taste. 

Here,  again,  those  who  take  these  true,  but  vague 
and  inconclusive  views,  should,  I  think,  have  seen 
and  added  that  this  excellence  of  the  thinking  fac- 
ulties is  incompatible  with  the  obviously  constricted 


176         OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN. 

brain,  which  is  a  defect  common  both  to  the  Negro 
and  the  Mongol — a  defect  which  is  incompatible 
with  beauty  either  of  form  or  function,  and  which 
I  have  shown,  in  my  work  on  physiognomy,  to  be 
intimately  connected  with  climate.  This  renders 
the  argument  sufficiently  strong. 

Those  who  employ  these  arguments  as  to  a  stand- 
ard of  beauty  in  woman,  proceed  to  show  the 
modes  in  which  defects  of  this  kind  unfit  persons 
to  judge  of  beauty  ;  and  though  their  farther  argu- 
ments are  similarly  vague,  they  nevertheless  tend 
to  support  the  truth. 

If,  say  they,  among  the  forms  and  the  features 
which  we  compare,  some  are  associated  by  us  with 
certain  qualities  or  sentiments  which  please  us,  they 
equally  lead  us  to  a  predilection  or  prejudice,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  most  common  or  the 
least  beautiful  figure  is  preferred  to  the  most  per- 
fect. In  this  case,  the  imagination  has  perverted 
the  judgment. 

Winckelmann  truly  observes,  that  young  people 
are  most  exposed  to  such  errors:  placed  under  the 
influence  of  sentiment  and  of  illusion,  they  often 
regard,  as  very  beautiful,  women  who  have  nothing 
capable  of  charming,  but  an  animated  physiognomy, 
in  which  breathe  desire,  voluptuousness,  and  lan- 
guor. The  results  of  this  as  to  life  may  easily  be 
foreseen. 

Of  the  excess  to  which  such  prejudice  may  go,  a 
good  instance  is  adduced  in  Descartes,  who  pre- 
ferred women  who  squinted  to  the  most  perfect 
beauties,  because  squinting  was  one  of  the  most 


OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  "WOMAN.    177 

remarkable  features  of  the  woman  who  was  the  first 
object  of  his  affections. 

Winckelmann  observes  that  even  artists  them- 
selves have  not  always  an  exquisite  sentiment  of 
beauty  :  their  first  impressions  have  often  an  in- 
fluence which  they  cannot  overcome,  nor  even 
weaken,  especially  when,  at  a  distance  from  the 
admirable  productions  of  the  ancients,  they  cannot 
rectify  their  first  judgments. 

Circumstances  of  profession,  it  is  truly  observed, 
may  also  lead  to  associations  of  ideas  capable  of 
deceiving  us  in  our  opinions  respecting  beauty. 
Men  are  apt  to  refer  everything  to  their  exclusive 
knowledge  and  the  mode  of  judging  which  it  em- 
ploys. The  "  what  does  that  prove"  of  the  math- 
ematician, when  judging  the  finest  products  of  ima- 
gination, has  passed  into  a  proverb.  And  every 
one  knows  of  that  other  cultivator  of  the  same 
science,  who  declared  that  he  never  could  discover 
anything  sublime  in  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  but 
that  he  could  never  read  the  queries  at  the  end  of 
one  of  the  books  in  Newton's  Optics,  without  his 
hair  standing  on  end  and  his  blood  running  cold. 

The  necessity  of  the  third  condition,  namely,  ad- 
vanced civilization,  to  a  right  judgment  respecting 
a  standard  of  beauty  in  woman,  is  evident,  when 
we  consider  that  it  requires  a  taste  formed  by  the 
habit  of  bringing  things  together  and  of  comparing 
them. 

One  accustomed  to  see,  says  Hume,  "  and  ex- 
amine, and  weigh  the  several  performances,  ad- 
mired in  diflferent  ages  and  nations,  can  alone  rate 


178         OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEATTTY  IS  WOMAN. 

the  merits  of  a  work  exhibited  to  his  view,  and 
assign  its  proper  rank  among  the  productions  of 
genius." 

From  all  this,  it  is  certainly  evident — not  merely 
that  that  which  pleases  us  is  not  always  beautiful ; 
that  numerous  causes  may  form  so  many  sources  of 
diversity  and  of  error  on  this  subject ;  and  that  we 
cannot  thence  conclude  that  the  ideas  of  beauty 
are  relative  and  arbitrary  —  but  that  certain  condi- 
tions are  indispensable  to  form  the  judgment  re- 
specting beauty  ;  and  that  the  principal  of  these 
conditions  are,  a  temperate  climate  and  fertile 
soil,  a  well-developed  brain,  sound  judgment, 
and  delicate  taste,  and  a  highly-advanced  civili- 
zation. 

This  is  perfectly  conformable  with  the  practical 
fact  that  it  was  under  a  most  delightful  climate, 
among  a  people  of  unrivalled  judgment,  genius, 
and  taste,  and  amid  a  civilization  which  the  world 
has  never  since  witnessed,  that  the  laws  of  Nature 
as  to  beauty  were  discovered,  and  applied  to  the 
production  of  those  immortal  forms  which  the  un- 
favorable accidents  occurring  to  the  existence  of 
all  beings,  have  never  permitted  Nature  herself  to 
combine  in  any  one  individual. 

Though  I  have  endeavored  to  amend  these  argu- 
ments respecting  a  standard  of  beauty  in  woman,  I 
prefer  those  which  may  be  founded  on  the  doctrine 
I  have  laid  down  respecting  the  Elements  of  Beau- 
ty. It  will  be  found  that  the  greatest  number  of 
these  elements  are  combined  in  the  woman  whom 
we  commonly  deem  the  most  beautiful. 


OP  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEATTTY  IN  WOMAN.         179 

To  illustrate  this,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  examine 
their  most  striking  and  distinctive  characteristic, 
namely,  their  fair  complexion,  which  is  intimately 
connected  with  all  their  other  characteristics,  and 
which  gives  increased  splendor  and  effect  to  their 
form  and  features. 

It  is  remarkable  that  even  Alison,  though  the  ad- 
vocate of  all  beauty  being  dependant  on  associa- 
tion, grants  that  the  pure  white  of  the  countenance 
is  expressive  to  us,  according  to  its  different  de- 
grees, of  purity,  fineness,  gayety ;  that  the  dark 
complexion,  on  the  other  hand,  is  expressive  to  us 
of  melancholy,  gloom,  or  sadness  ;  and  that  so  far 
is  this  from  being  a  fanciful  relation,  that  it  is  gen- 
erally admitted  by  those  who  have  the  best  oppor- 
tunities of  ascertaining  it,  the  professors  of  medical 
science.  He  also  observes  that  black  eyes  are 
commonly  united  with  the  dark,  and  blue  eyes  with 
the  fair  complexion ;  and  that,  in  the  color  of  the 
eyes,  blue,  according  to  its  different  degrees,  is 
expressive  of  softness,  gentleness,  cheerfulness,  or 
severity ;  and  black,  of  thought,  or  gravity,  or  of 
sadness. 

Even  this,  however,  is  less  conclusive  than  the 
pathological  or  physiological  facts  stated  by  Ches- 
elden,  as  to  the  boy  restored  by  him  to  sight, 
namely,  that  the  first  view  of  a  black  object  gave 
him  great  pain,  and  that  that  of  a  negro-woman 
struck  him  with  horror. 

Independently  of  this,  white,  as  every  one  is 
aware,  is  the  color  which  reflects  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  luminous  rays ;  and,  for  that  reason,  it  be- 


180        OF   THE  STANDARD  OF  BEATTTY  IN  WOMAN. 

stows  the  brilliance  and  splendor  upon  beautiful 
forms  with  which  all  are  charmed. 

Winckelmann,  indeed,  observes  that  the  head  of 
Scipio  the  elder,  in  the  Palazzo  Rospigliosi,  execu- 
ted in  basalt  of  a  deep  green,  is  very  beautiful.  But, 
in  that  case,  it  is  the  form,  not  the  color,  of  the 
head,  that  is  beautiful.  While  greenness  of  com- 
plexion would  not  be  beautiful  in  a  man,  it  would 
certainly  be  hideously  ugly  in  a  woman. 

Moreover,  while,  in  a  dead  black  or  any  dark 
color  of  face,  it  cannot  be  pretended  that,  consid- 
ering its  color  only,  we  should  have  more  than 
blackness  or  darkness  for  admiration,  it  is  evident 
that,  in  a  fair  complexion,  we  have,  in  addition  to 
its  general  brilliance  or  splendor,  the  infinite  varie- 
ty of  its  teints,  their  exquisite  blendings,  and  the 
beautiful  expression  of  every  transient  emotion. 

I  have  now  only  to  expose  the  sophistry  which 
Payne  Knight  has  employed  upon  this  subject. 

"I  am  aware,"  he  says,  "indeed,  that  it  would 
be  no  easy  task  to  persuade  a  lover  that  the  forms 
upon  which  he  dotes  with  such  rapture,  are  not 
really  beautiful,  independent  of  the  medium  of  affec- 
tion, passion,  and  appetite,  through  which  he  views 
them.  But  before  he  pronounces  either  the  infidel 
or  the  skeptic  guilty  of  blasphemy  against  nature, 
let  him  take  a  mould  from  the  lovely  features  or 
lovely  bosom  of  this  masterpiece  of  creation,  and 
cast  a  plum-pudding  in  it  (an  object  by  no  means 
disgusting  to  most  men's  appetite),  and  I  think  he 
will  no  longer  be  in  raptures  with  the  form,  what- 
ever he  may  be  with  the  substance." 


OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN.  181 

Now,  it  happens  that  a  grosser  incongruity  can 
scarcely  he  supposed  than  that  which  exists  be- 
tween lovely  features  or  a  lovely  bosom  and  a 
plum-pudding,  or  between  the  sentiment  of  love 
and  the  propensity  to  gluttony ;  and  therefore  to 
place  the  substance  of  the  pudding,  in  which  inter- 
nal composition  is  alone  of  importance,  and  shape 
of  none,  under  the  form  of  features  or  a  bosom,  in 
which  internal  structure  is  unknown  or  unthought 
of,  and  shape  or  other  external  properties  are  alone 
considered,  is  a  gross  and  offensive  substitution, 
intended,  not  to  enlighten  judgment  respecting 
form,  but  to  pervert  it,  and  to  degrade  the  higher 
object  by  comparison  with  the  lower  one.  The 
shape,  moreover,  is  a  true  sign  in  the  one  case, 
and  a  false  one  in  the  other.  —  Of  nearly  similar 
character  is  the  following  :  — 

"If  a  man,  perfectly  possessed  both  of  feeling 
and  sight — -conversant  with,  and  sensible  to  the 
charms  of  women  —  were  even  to  be  in  contact  with 
what  he  conceived  to  be  the  most  beautiful  and 
lovely  of  the  sex,  and  at  the  moment  when  he  was 
going  to  embrace  her,  he  was  to  discover  that  the 
parts  which  he  touched  only  were  feminine  or 
human ;  and  that,  in  the  rest  of  her  form,  she  was 
an  animal  of  a  different  species,  or  a  person  of  his 
own  sex,  the  total  and  instantaneous  change  of  his 
sentiments  from  one  extreme  to  another,  would 
abundantly  convince  him  that  his  sexual  desires 
depended  as  little  upon  that  abstract  sense  of  touch, 
as  upon  that  of  sight." 

That,  in  detecting  an  imposture  of  this  kind, 
16 


182        OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN. 

admiration  would  give  place  to  disgust,  only  proves 
that  the  external  qualities  which  were  admired 
were  the  natural  and  appropriate  signs  of  the  in- 
ternal qualities  expected  to  be  found  under  them, 
and  that  they  now  cease  to  interest  only  because 
they  have  become,  not  naturally  less  the  signs  of 
these  qualities,  but  because  they  have  by  a  mere 
trick  been  rendered  insignificant,  because  truth  and 
nature  have  been  violated,  and  because  the  mind 
feels  only  disgust  at  the  imposture.  I  cannot  help 
saying  that  if  Knight  was  in  earnest  when  he 
framed  such  arguments,  his  mind  was  sometimes 
dull  as.  well  as  perverse. 

"The  redness  of  any  morbid  inflammation,"  he 
says,  "may  display  a  gradation  of  teint,  which,  in 
a  pink  or  a  rose,  we  should  think  as  beautiful  as 
'the  purple  light  of  love  and  bloom  of  young  de- 
sire j'  and  the  cadaverous  paleness  of  death  or 
disease,  a  degree  of  whiteness,  which,  in  a  piece 
of  marble  or  alabaster,  we  should  deem  to  be  as 
pure,  as  that  of  the  most  delicate  skin  of  the  fairest 
damsel  of  the  frigid  zone :  consequently,  the  mere 
visible  beauty  is  in  both  the  same ;  and  the  dif- 
ference consists  entirely  in  mental  sympathies, 
excited  by  certain  internal  stimuli,  and  guided  by 
habit." 

There  is  here  the  same  confusion  of  heteroge- 
neous and  inconsistent  objects,  as  in  the  preceding 
cases.  To  judge  of  beauty  in  simple  objects, 
each  quality  may  be  separately  considered  ;  and 
in  this  view,  if  the  inflammation  presented  the 
same  teint  as  the  pink  or  the  rose,  then,  as  a  mere 


OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  IN  WOMAN.         183 

teint,  abstracted  from  every  other  quality  of  the  re- 
spective objects,  it  would  be  precisely  as  beautiful 
in  the  one  as  in  the  other ;  but  as  the  color  of  a 
rose  on  the  human  body  would  indicate  that  flow 
of  blood  to  the  skin  which  can  result  only  from 
excessive  action,  it  ceases  to  be  considered  intrin- 
sically, and  is  regarded  only  as  a  sign  of  disease. 
The  same  observations  are  applicable  to  the  other 
case  here  adduced. 

"  The  African  black,"  he  says,  "when  he  first 
beholds  an  European  complexion,  thinks  both  its 
red  and  white  morbid  and  unnatural,  and  of  course 
disgusting.  His  sunburnt  beauties  express  their 
modesty  and  sensibility  by  variations  in  the  sable 
teints  of  their  countenances,  which  are  equally  at- 
tractive to  him,  as  the  most  delicate  blush  of  red 
to  us." 

In  treating  of  the  Elements  of  Beauty,  I  have 
endeavored  to  show,  that  the  more  those  simpler 
elements  of  beauty,  which  characterize  inanimate 
bodies,  are  retained  in  more  compound  ones,  the 
more  beautiful  these  become ;  but  that  the  latter 
retain  these  elements  in  very  different  degrees,  de- 
pendant upon  internal  or  external  circumstances, 
and  that  such  elementary  beauty  is  often  sacrificed 
to  the  higher  ones  of  life  or  mind.  Now,  in  the 
case  of  the  African,;  he  is  born  whitish,  like  the 
European,  but  he  speedily  loses  such  beauty  for 
that  of  adaptation,  by  his  color,  to  the  hot  climate 
in  which  he  exists.  The  latter  beauty  is  the  higher 
and  more  important  one,  and  forms  for  the  African 
a  profitable  exchange ;  but  the  European  is  still . 


184        OF  THE  STANDARD  OF  BEAITTY  IN  WOMAN. 

more  fortunate,  because,  in  the  region  he  inhabits, 
the  simple  and  elementary  beauty  is  compatible 
with  that  of  adaptation  to  climate.  The  climate 
of  Africa,  the  cerebral  structure  of  its  inhabitants, 
and  the  degree  of  their  civilization,  are  as  unfavor- 
able to  the  existence  of  beauty  as  to  the  power  of 
judging  respecting  it.  What  he  adds  as  to  varia- 
tion in  sable  countenances  is  a  mere  exaggeration. 

"  Were  it  possible  for  a  person  to  judge  of  the 
beauty  of  color  in  his  own  species,  upon  the  same 
principles  and  with  the  same  impartiality  as  he 
judges  of  it  in  other  objects,  both  animal,  vegetable, 
and  mineral,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  mixed 
teints  would  be  preferred  ;  and  a  pimpled  face  have 
the  same  superiority  over  a  smooth  one,  as  a  zebra 
has  over  an  ass,  a  variegated  tulip  over  a  plain  one, 
or  a  column  of  jasper  or  porphyry  over  one  of  a 
common  red  or  white  marble." 

Here  the  same  mistake  is  committed.  Element- 
ary beauty  is  preferred  to  that  of  adaptation  to  cli- 
mate, fitness  for  physiognomical  expression,  dec. 
Knight's  other  arguments  all  involve  similar  errors, 
and  admit  of  similar  answers. 


THE  THKEE  SPECIES  OF  FEMALE  BEAUTY.  185 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE   THREE  SPECIES   OF   FEMALE  BEAUTY  GENERALLY 
VIEWED. 

These  have  been  already  briefly  mentioned.  They 
are  repeated  and  illustrated  here. . 

The  view  which  is  given  of  them  will  throw  light 
on  the  celebrated  temperaments  of  the  ancients. 
It  will  appear  that  all  the  disputes  which  have  oc- 
curred respecting  these,  have  arisen  from  their 
being  founded,  not  on  precise  data,  but  on  empirical 
observation,  at  a  time  when  the  great  truths  of 
anatomy  and  physiology  were  unknown ;  that,  to 
the  rectification  of  the  doctrine  of  temperaments, 
the  arrangement  of  these  sciences,  laid  down  in  a 
preceding  chapter,  is  indispensable  ;  that  some  of 
these  temperaments  are  comparatively  simple,  and 
consist  in  an  excessive  or  a  defective  action  of  loco- 
motive, nutritive,  or  thinking  organs  ;■  that  others, 
which  have  been  confounded  with  these,  are,  on 
the  contrary,  compound;  and  that,  from  this  want 
of  classification,  their  nature  has  been  imperfectly 
understood. 

To  make  this  clear,  it  is  necessary  to  lay  before 
the  reader  a  succinct  view  of  the  doctrine  of  tern* 
peraments. 

16* 


186  THE  THREE  SPECIES  OF  FEMALE  BEAXTTY. 

The  ancients  classed  individuals  in  one  or  other 
of  four  temperaments,  founded  on  the  hypothesis 
of  four  humors,  of  which  the  blood  was  supposed 
to  be  composed  —  the  red  part,  phlegm,  yellow 
and  black  bile.  These  were  regarded  as  the  ele- 
ments of  the  body,  and  their  respective  predomi- 
nance passed  for  the  cause  of  the  differences  which 
it  presented.  Hence  were  derived  the  names  of 
the  sanguine,  the  phlegmatic,  the  choleric,  and  the 
melancholic  temperament. 

Although  the  hypothesis  on  which  this  doctrine 
was  founded  is  universally  discarded,  the  phenomena 
which  observation  had  taught  the  ancients,  and 
which  they  had  hypothetically  connected  with  these 
elements,  were  so  true,  that  that  classification  has 
been  more  or  less  employed  in  all  the  hypotheses 
which  have  since  been  invented  to  explain  their 
cause ;  and  their  nomenclature  has  continued  in 
use  to  the  present  day. 

A  temperament  may  be  defined  a  peculiar  state 
of  the  system,  depending  on  the  relative  propor- 
tion of  its  different  masses,  and  the  relative  energy 
of  its  different  functions,  by  which  it  acquires  a 
tendency  to  certain  actions. 

The  predominance  of  any  particular  organ  or 
system  of  organs,  its  excess  of  force,  extends  its 
sphere  of  activity  to  all  the  other  functions,  and 
modifies  them  in  a  peculiar  manner.  Thus,  con- 
forming in  the  illustration  to  the  preceding  ar- 
rangement, in  one  person,  the  muscles  are  more 
frequently  employed  than  the  brain  ;  in  another, 
the   stomach  or   the  organs  of  reproduction   are 


THE  THREE  SPECIES  OF  FEMALE  BEAUTY.  187 

more  employed  than  the  muscles ;  and  in  a  third, 
the  brain  and  nerves  are  more  employed  than  either. 
This  predominance  or  excess  establishes  the  tem- 
perament. 

The  relative  feebleness  of  any  organ  or  system 
of  organs,  similarly  forms  modifications  not  less 
important.  Thus  in  one  person,  the  organs  of  the 
abdomen  are  less  employed  ;  in  another,  those  of 
the  chest ;  in  a  third,  the  brain. 

Disease,  it  is  observed,  "  commonly  enters  into 
the  organization  by  these  feeble  points  :  death  even 
attacks  them  first ;  extends  afterward  from  one  to 
another  ;  and  makes  progress  more  or  less  rapid, 
according  to  the  importance  of  the  organ  primi- 
tively affected." 

Temperaments,  however,  vary  infinitely.  It  may 
be  said  that  every  individual  has  a  peculiar  one,  to 
which  he  owes  his  mode  of  existence  and  his  de- 
gree of  health,  ability,  and  happiness. 

The  temperament,  moreover,  of  each  individual 
is  not  always  characterized  by  Avell-marked  symp- 
toms ;  and  even  where  it  has  been  strongly  marked 
by  nature,  education,  age,  the  influence  of  climate, 
the  exercise  of  professions  and  trades,  and  various 
habits,  produce  in  it  infinite  changes. 

Temperaments  also  combine  together,  so  that  all 
men  are,  in  some  degree,  at  once  sanguine  and  bil- 
ious, or  otherwise  compound.  Thus  all  interme- 
diate shades  of  temperament  are  produced  ;  and  it 
is  often  difficult,  or,  under  particular  circumstances, 
impossible,  to  determine  under  which  temperament 
individuals  may  be  classed. 


188  THP  THREE  SPECIES  OF  FEMALE  BEAinT. 

The  simple  temperaments  are  therefore  abstrac- 
tions, which  it  is  difficult  to  realize  ;  and  the  influ- 
ence of  any  temperament  is  sometimes  undiscov- 
erable  except  in  some  extraordinary  circumstances 
of  disorder  or  disease,  during  which  it  may  be  ob- 
served. 

Cullen  admits  the  four  temperaments  of  Hippo- 
crates, and  remarks  concerning  them,  that  it  is 
probable  they  were  first  founded  upon  observation, 
and  afterward  adapted  to  the  theory  of  the  ancients, 
since  we  find  they  "  have  a  real  existence." 

Dr.  Prichard  remarks,  that  "  this  division  of 
temperaments  is  by  no  means  a  fanciful  distinction." 

To  the  four  temperaments  of  Hippocrates,  Gre- 
gory adds  a  fifth,  the  nervous  temperament. 

Thus  are  formed  five  temperaments  generally 
admitted,  namely,  1st,  the  phlegmatic  or  relaxed  ; 
2d,  the  sanguine  arterial ;  3d,  the  sanguine  venous 
or  bilious ;  ^th,  the  nervous  ;  and,  5th,  the  muscu- 
lar or  athletic. 

Some  writers  join,  to  these  the  partial  tempera- 
ments which  determine  the  ascendency  of  the  func- 
tions exercised  by  particular  organs;  whence  prin- 
cipally come  the  temperaments  which  they  call  the 
cerebral,  epigastric,  abdoininal,  hepatic,  genital,  &c. 

As  already  said,  it  will  in  the. sequel  appear  that 
some  of  these  temperaments  are  comparatively 
simple,  that  others  are  compound,  and  that  from 
this  want  of  classification,  their  nature  has  been 
imperfectly  understood.* 

•  Appendix  F. 


BEAUTY    OF  THE   LOCOMOTIVE   SYSTEM.  189 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST    SPECIES     OF    BEAUTY BEAUTY    OF    THE     LOCOMO- 
TIVE   SYSTEM. 

The  average  stature  of  Avoman,  as  already  said, 
is  two  or  three  inches  less  than  that  of  man. 

The  bones  of  woman  remain  always  smaller  than 
those  of  man ;  the  cylindrical  ones  being  more 
slender,  and  the  flat  ones  thinner,  while  the  former 
are  also  rounder.  The  muscles  render  the  surfaces 
of  the  bones  less  uneven ;  the  projections  of  the 
latter  are  less  ;  and  all  their  cavities  and  impres- 
sions have  less  depth.  The  bones  of  woman  have 
likewise  less  hardness  than  those  of  man. 

Such  being  the  solid  and  fundamental  parts  of 
this  system  in  woman,  the  most  remarkable  cir- 
cumstances in  their  combination  should  next  be 
noticed. 

In  woman,  the  magnitude  of  the  pelvis  or  lower 
part  of  the  trunk,  has  the  greatest  influence  on  the 
apparent  proportion  of  parts,  and  on  the  general 
figure. 

The  most  remarkable  differences  between  the 
two  sexes,  in  relation  to  this  system,  are  conse- 
quently those  presented  by  the  inferior  and  supe- 
rior part  of  the  trunk  in  each.     The  breast  and  the 


190  FIRST   SPECIES    OF   BEAUTY. 

haunches  are  in  an  inverse  proportion  in  the  two 
sexes.  Man  has  the  breast  larger  and  wider  than 
that  of  woman  :  woman  has  the  haunches  less  cir- 
cumscribed than  those  of  man. 

The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  also  less  promi- 
nent, and  the  lower  part  more  prominent,  in  woman 
than  in  man  ;  and  therefore,  when  they  stand  up- 
right, or  lie  on  the  back,  the  breast  is  most  promi- 
nent in  the  male,  and  the  pubes  in  the  female.  The 
indication  this  affords  of  the  fitness  of  woman  for 
impregnation,  gestation,  and  parturition,  is  obvious. 

From  the  same  cause,  the  back  of  woman  is 
more  hollow. 

Still  farther  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  body,  woman  has  the  loins  more  ex- 
tended than  man.  This  portion  of  her  body  is  in 
every  way  enlarged  at  the  expense  of  neighboring 
parts.  Hence,  the  chest  is  shorter  above  ;  and  the 
thighs  and  legs  are  shorter  below. 

The  thigh-bones  of  woman  are  also  more  sepa- 
rated superiorly ;  the  knees  are  more  approximated  j 
the  feet  are  smaller ;  and  the  base  of  support  is 
less  extended. 

The  reader  desirous  of  thoroughly  understand- 
ing these  matters,  should  compare  the  beautiful 
plates  of  the  male  and  female  skeletons  by  Albinus 
and  Soemmerring. 

Beauty  of  the  locomotive  system  in  woman,  de- 
pends especially  upon  these  fundamental  facts,  and 
those  tendencies  of  structure  which  thus  distin- 
guish her  from  man. 

In  this  woman  possessing  this  species  of  beauty^ 


THE    LOCOMOTIVE    SYSTEM.  191 

therefore,  the  face  is  generally  somewhat  hony  and 
oblong  ; — the  neck,  less  connected  with  the  nutri- 
tive system,  is  rather  long  and  tapering;  —  the 
shoulders,  without  being  angular,  are  sufficiently 
broad  and  definite  for  muscular  attachments  j  — 
the  bosom,  a  vital  organ,  is  of  but  moderate  di- 
mensions;—  the  waist,  enclosing  smaller  nutritive 
organs,  is  remarkable  for  fine  proportion,  and  re- 
sembles, in  some  respects,  an  inverted  cone  ;  —  the 
haunches,  for  the  same  reason,  are  but  moderately 
expanded;  —  the  thighs  are  proportional;  —  the 
arms,  as  well  as  the  limbs,  being  formed  chiefly  of 
locomotive  organs,  are  rather  long  and  moderately 
tapering;  —  the  hands  and  feet  are  moderately 
small;  —  the  complexion,  owing  to  the  inferiority 
of  the  nutritive  system,  is  often  rather  dark  ;  —  and 
the  hair  is  frequently  dark  and  strong.  —  The  whole 
figure  is  precise,  striking,  and  often  brilliant. — 
From  its  proportions,  it  sometimes  seems  almost 
aerial ;  and  we  would  imagine,  that,  if  our  hands 
were  placed  under  the  lateral  parts  of  the  tapering 
waist  of  a  woman  thus  characterized,  the  slightest 
pressure  would  suffice  to  throw  her  into  the  air. 

To  this  class  belong  generally  the  more  firm, 
vigorous,  and  even  actively-impassioned  women : 
though  it  may  doubtless  boast  many  of  greatly 
modified  character. 

First  Variety  or  Modification  of  tJiis  Species  of  Beauty. 

It  may  here  be  observed,  that  the  varieties  or 
modifications  of  each  species  of  beauty  naturally 


192  FIRST    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

correspond  with  the  greater  or  less  development 
of  some  one  of  the  various  organs  on  which  the 
species  is  founded.  Thus,  the  modifications  of 
beauty  of  the  locomotive  system  correspond  with 
the  greater  or  less  development  of  the  bones,  the 
ligaments,  or  the  muscles ;  those  of  the  nutritive 
system  correspond  with  the  greater  or  less  develop- 
ment of  the  absorbents,  the  bloodvessels,  or  the 
•glands ;  and  those  of  the  thinking  system  corres- 
pond with  the  greater  or  less  development  of  the 
organs  of  sense,  the  brain,  or  the  cerebel.  A  little 
reflection  will  show,  that  some  of  these  modifica- 
tions will  be  more,  and  others  less  beautiful. 

To  understand  the  present  variety,  the  bony 
structure  on  which  it  especially  depends,  must 
now  be  more  minutely  described. 

Commencing  with  the  trunk  of  the  body  —  the 
chest  in  woman  is  shorter  but  more  expanded}  the 
breast-bone  is  shorter  but  wider ;  the  two  upper 
ribs  are  flatter  ;  the  collar-bones  are  more  straight 
or  less  curved,  and  do  not  present  that  prominent 
relief  which  appears  on  the  chest  of  man ;  the 
shoulders  are  carried  farther  back,  and  project  less 
from  the  trunk. 

The  haunches,  as  already  stated,  are  propor- 
tionally wider  in  woman  than  in  man,  and  the  in- 
terior cavity  of  the  pelvis,  which  is  between  them, 
being  adapted  to  gestation,  is  more  capacious. 
This  greater  capacity  of  the  pelvis  arises  from  the 
lateral  parts  having  in  woman  more  convexity  out- 
ward ;  from  the  bones  called  ossa  pubis,  which  form 
the  anterior  part,  touching  at  a  smaller  number  of 


THE    LOCOMOTIVE    SYSTEM.  193 

points,  and  running  obliquely  or  forming  a  greater 
angle,  to  enlarge  the  space  which  is  between  them 
and  the  inferior  extremity  of  the  posterior  part  of 
the  pelvis  j  from  the  arch  of  the  pubis  being  larger ; 
from  the  greater  concavity  and  breadth  of  the  os 
sacrum  or  posterior  bone  of  the  pelvis,  its  posterior 
part  forming  a  greater  prominence  outward  ;  and 
from  the  whole  pelvis  being  thus  wider  and  less 
deep,  its  circumference  approaching  more  to  the 
circular  form.  The  cavities,  it  may  be  added,  in 
which  the  heads  of  the  thigh-bones  are  received, 
are  of  course  farther  apart :  they  are  also  oblique, 
and  less  deep. 

The  arms  of  woman  are  shorter  than  in  man.  — 
As  these  members  are  well  marked  in  beauty  of 
the  locomotive  system,  they  may  the  more  fully 
be  considered  here.  —  The  arms,  and  especially 
their  extremities,  are  susceptible  of  a  degree  of 
beauty  of  which  we  see  few  examples.  Their 
bases,  the  bones,  ligaments,  and  muscles,  belong 
to  the  locomotive  system  ;  and  their  fundamental 
beauty  consequently  depends  upon  its  proportions  ; 
but  to  the  nutritive  system  are  owing  the  circum- 
stances that,  in  woman,  the  arm  is  fatter  and  more 
rounded,  has  softer  forms  and  more  flowing  and 
purer  outlines.  The  hand  in  woman  is  smaller, 
more  plump,  more  soft,  and  more  white.  It  is 
peculiarly  beautiful  when  full ;  when  it  is  gently 
dimpled  over  the  first  joints ;  when  the  fingers 
are  long,  round,  tapering  toward  the  ends  ;  when 
the  other  joints  are  marked  by  slight  reliefs  and 
shadows ;  and  when  the  fingers  are  delicate  and 
17 


194  FIRST   SPECIES   OF   BEATITy. 

flexible.  Beauty  of  the  hand  becomes  the  more 
precious,  because  it  is  the  principal  organ  of  a 
sense  which  may  be  considered  as  the  most  valu- 
able of  all. 

In  regard  to  the  lower  extremities,  it  has  been 
observed,  that  the  lateral  convexity  of  the  pelvis 
causes  the  bones  of  the  thighs  attached  to  them  to 
be  farther  separated  from  each  other  ;  and  this 
separation  of  the  bones  of  the  thighs  causes  an 
increase  of  the  size  of  the  haunches.  It  is  over 
the  posterior  part  of  the  space  thus  produced,  that 
we  observe  the  reliefs  which  the  inferior  members 
present  superiorly,  and  which  unite  them  with 
the  trunk,  by  forms  so  beautifully  rounded.  The 
thighs  are  also  proportionally  larger,  on  account 
of  this  separation  :  they  are  more  rounded,  as  well 
as  much  more  voluminous :  they  are  also  more 
curved  before  than  in  man.  At  their  inferior  part, 
they  approximate  ;  and  the  knees  project  a  littls 
inward.  It  has  been  truly  observed,  that  this  corf- 
formation  manifests,  relatively  to  gestation  and 
parturition,  advantages  of  which  the  exterior  ex- 
pression is  not  found  in  the  women  who  are  com- 
monly regarded  as  well  made,  and  who,  however, 
are  not  so,  if  the  best  conformation  or  beauty  re- 
sult from  a  direct  and  well-marked  relation  between 
the  form  of  the  organs  and  their  functions.  It  rs 
owing  to  the  thighs  of  woman  being  thus  carried 
more  inward  when  she  Avalks,  that  the  change  of 
the  point  of  gravity  which  marks  each  step,  is  in 
her  much  more  remarkable.  All  the  other  parts 
©f  the  inferior  members  are  in  general  distinguished 


THE    LOCOMOTIVE   SYSTEM.  195 

by  forms  more  softly  rounded  ;  the  leg  is  remark- 
able for  its  delicacy  ;  the  long  line  of  the  anterior 
bone  is  entirely  hid  under  its  envelope  ;  its  inferior 
part  is  shaped  with  more  elegance ;  the  foot  is 
smaller ;  and  the  base  of  support  is  less  extended. 
The  feet,  like  the  hands,  are  susceptible  of  a  kind 
ofijeauty  orf  which  nature  js  sparing. 

From  all  this  it  appears  that  the  only  bones 
which  nature  tends  to  enlarge  in  woman  are  those 
of  the  pelvis ;  that  all  the  rest  are  small ;  and  that 
they  proportionally  diminish  in  size,  as  we  pass 
from  that  central  part  to  the  extremities. 

The  FIRST  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of  the 
bo-rves,  those  of  the  pelvis  excepted,  is  proportion- 
ally small. 

This  character  will  be  especially  apparent  where 
the  long  bones  approach  the  surface  ;  as  in  the  arm 
immediately  above  the  wrist,  and,  in  the  leg,  im- 
mediately above  the  ankle.  lis  effect  will  be  pro- 
portionally delicate  and  feminine. 

Various  subordinate  modifications  of  this  kind 
of  beauty  are  found  in  various  countries,  and  under 
the  influence  of  various  circumstances. 

The  women  of  Rome,  we  are  told,  present  beauty 
of  the  shoulders  in  the  highest  degree,  when  they 
arrive  at  that  period  of  life  in  which  plumpness 
succeeds  to  juvenile  elasticity. 

It  has  been  suggested,  that  the  Greek  or  Ionian 
women,  whose  arms  were  of  so  perfect  a  form, 
owed  that  beauty  in  some  measure  to  the  custom 
of  leaving  them  nude,  or  covered  only  by  loose 


196  FIRST    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

drapery :  as  in  that  case,  no  pressure  constricted 
the  roundness  of  the  fleshy  parts,  and  prevented 
their  development ;  no  ligature,  binding  the  upper 
part  of  the  arm,  altered  the  color  of  the  skin ;  and 
the  arm,  being  always  uncovered,  received  at  the 
toilet  the  same  attention  as  other  parts.  Hence, 
it  is  supposed  antique  statuary  has  left  us  such 
admirable  models  of  the  beauty  of  this  part. 

It  is  certainly  not  improbable  that  we  may  at- 
tribute the  absence  of  this  beauty,  in  some  measure, 
to  a  custom  which,  in  many  cases,  medicine  may 
approve,  but  which  is  unfavorable  to  the  arm,  that 
of  wearing  long  sleeves ;  but  want  of  exercise  is 
its  great  cause. 

The  form  of  the  hand  often  announces  the  occu- 
pation of  the  person  to  whom  it  belongs,  and  some- 
times even  her  particular  capabilities.  There  cer- 
tainly are  hands  that  we  may  call  intellectual ;  and 
there  are  others  that  we  may  call  foolish  or  stupid. 
Of  the  hand,  Lavater  says,  that,  whether  in  move- 
ment or  in  repose,  its  expression  cannot  be  mis- 
taken :  its  most  tranquil  position  indicates  our 
natural  dispositions  j  its  flexions,  our  actions  and 
our  passions. 

The  ancients,  it  has  been  observed,  attached 
much  importance  to  the  form  of  the  feet :  the  phi- 
losophers did  not  neglect  it  in  the  general  view  of 
the  physiognomy ;  and  the  historians  as  well  as  the 
poets  made  mention  of  their  beauty,  in  speaking 
of  Polyxene,  Aspasia,  and  others ;  as  they  did  of 
their  deformities  in  speaking  of  the  emperor  Do* 
mitian. 


THE  LOCOMOTIVE  SYSTEM.  197 

Perfection  or  deformity  of  the  feet  is  no  doubt 
in  general  hereditary  ;  but  good  management  will 
preserve  the  former  of  these,  and  repair  the  latter. 
We  commonly  deform  these  parts  by  means  of  our 
shoes :  the  second  toe,  observes  a  writer  on  this 
subject,  which  naturally  projects  most,  as  we  see 
from  the  antique,  is  arrested  in  its  development, 
and  the  foot,  which  ought,  in  the  outline  of  its 
extremity,  to  approach  to  the  elegant  form  of  the 
ellipsis,  is  rounded  without  beauty,  and  is' disfig- 
ured by  our  ridiculous  compressions.* 

Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

The  joints  generally  are  small  in  woman,  and 
especially  so  in  the  extremities.  The  elbow  joint 
is  softly  rounded  ;  and  the  various  joints  of  the 
fingers  are  marked  chiefly  by  little  reliefs  and  faint 
shadows.  The  articulation  of  the  knee  is  feebly 
indicated ;  the  ankles  are  disposed  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  offer  only  agreeable  outlines ;  and  there 
are  dimples  over  the  first  joints  of  the  toes,  with 
exceedingly  gentle  indications  of  the  other  joints. 

The  SECOND  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  spe- 
cies of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of 
the  ligaments  and  the  articvilations  they  form,  is 
proportionally  smalj. 

This  conformation  will  be  especially  apparent  — 
in  the  arm,  at  the  wrist  —  and,  in  the  leg,  at  the 
ankle.     Its  effect  will  be  proportionally  handsome. 


•  Appendix  G. 


198  FIEST  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTY. 


Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

The  muscles  of  women  are  more  slender  and  fee- 
ble than  those  of  man  ;  their  bundles  are  rounder ; 
their  fibres  are  finer,  more  humid,  soft,  and  deli- 
cate, and  less  compact ;  their  central  parts  op  bel- 
lies are  less  prominent ;  their  reliefs  do  not  appear 
in  any  strength  at  the  surface  of  the  body  ;  but 
being,  on  the  contrary,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
a  loose  cellular  tissue,  they  only  render  that  sur- 
face beautifully  rounded. 

Although,  however,  the  muscular  system  of  wo- 
man is  weaker,  and  the  muscles  proportionally 
smaller,  yet,  as  already  said,  in  some  parts  the 
muscular  system  is  more  developed  than  in  man. 
This,  owing  to  the  magnitude  of  the  pelvis,  is  most 
remarkable  about  the  thighs.  The  muscles  of 
these  parts  having  larger  origins  from  the  pelvis, 
and  being  less  compressed  by  reciprocal  contact, 
have  more  liberty  to  extend  themselves.  It  is  from 
this,  that  results  much  of  the  delicacy  of  the  female 
form,  as  well  as  the  ease,  suppleness,  and  capabil- 
ity of  grace  in  its  movements. 

It  is  otherwise  in  all  parts  remote  from  the  pel- 
vis. Women,  accordingly,  can  less  be  said  to  have 
calves,  than  legs  which,  like  their  arms  and  fingers, 
gently  taper. 

The  THIRD  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of  the 
muscles  is  proportionally  large  around  the  pelvis, 
and  delicate  elsewhere. 


THE  LOCOMOTIVE  SYSTEM.  199 

This  conformation  being  concealed  by  the  dra- 
pery, may  nevertheless  be  conjectured  from  the 
imperfect  view  of  the  hip,  or  of  the  calf  of  the  leg, 
or  more  accurately  by  means  of  the  external  indi- 
cations of  forms  which  are  given  in  a  subsequent 
chapter.     Its  effect  will  be  proportionally  elegant. 

Woman's  power  of  muscular  motion  being  thus 
limited  to  the  vicinity  of  the  pelvis,  that  of  her  ex- 
tremities is  generally  feeble. 

Other  causes  contribute  to  this.  Thus,  with  re- 
gard to  the  upper  extremities,  it  has  been  observed, 
that  the  collar-bone,  not  separating  so  much  the 
arm  from  the  axis  of  the  body,  the  extent  of  its 
movements  is  limited ;  and  this  circumstance  ex- 
plains why  women,  who  wish  to  overcome  great 
resistances  with  the  superior  members,  experience 
difficulty  in  doing  so  —  why,  for  example,  when 
they  wish  to  throw  a  stone,  they  are  obliged  to 
turn  the  body  on  the  foot  opposite  to  the  arm  with 
which  they  throw. 

Thus  also  the  largeness  of  the  pelvis,  and  the 
approximation  of  the  knees,  influence  the  gait  of 
woman,  and  render  it  vacillating  and  unsteady. 
Conscious  of  this,  women,  in  countries  where  the 
nutritive  system  in  general  and  the  pelvis  in  par- 
ticular are  large,  affect  a  greater  degree  of  this 
vacillation  and  unsteadiness.  An  example  of  this 
is  seen  in  the  lateral  and  rotary  motion  which  is 
given  to  the  pelvis  in  walking,  by  certain  classes 
of  the  women  of  London. 

For  the  same  reason,  united  to  a  smaller  foot, 
and  some  other  circumstances,  women,  it  is  ob» 


200  FIEST  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTY. 

served,  who  execute  gentle  and  light  movements 
with  so  much  skill,  do  not  attempt  with  advantage 
great  evolutions,  run  with  difficulty  and  without 
grace,  and  fly  —  in  order  to  he  caught,  as  Rousseau 
has  said. 

In  woman,  however,  the  muscular  fibre  is  thus 
soft,  yielding,  feeble,  and  incapable  of  great  evo- 
lutions, because  it  is  necessary  that  it  should  easily 
adapt  itself  to  remarkable  changes. 

From  all  this,  from  women  having  more  address 
in  the  use  of  their  fingers,  from  their  aptitude  for 
little  and  light  domestic  works,  the  care  of  chil- 
dren, and  sedentary  occupations,  it  is  evident  that 
they  cannot  devote  themselves  to  toilsome  labors 
without  struggling  against  their  organization,  and 
suffering  proportionally. 

The  voice  being  connected  with  the  motive  or- 
gans^  it  may  here  be  noticed  that  the  larynx  or 
flute  part  of  the  throat  in  woman  is  more  contracted 
and  less  prominent  than  in  man  ;  that  the  glottis 
does  not  enlarge  in  the  same  proportion  j  that  the 
tongue-bone  is  much  smaller  ;  and  that  the  tongue, 
its  muscles,  and  the  organs  of  speech  in  general, 
being,  like  all  the  other  parts,  more  mobile,  young 
girls  articulate  and  pronounce  much  more  quickly. 
Their  voice  is  also  so  much  more  acute,  that  if 
man  and  woman  sing  in  unison,  there  is  always 
between  them  the  relation  of  an  octave,  which 
forms  the  most  natural  and  most  agreeable  conso- 
nance. 


THE  LOCOMOTIVE  SYSTEM.  201 

It  is  evidently  the  union  of  all  that  is  good  in 
these  varieties  which  renders  beauty  in  the  loco- 
motive system  perfect. 

This  is  perfectly  represented  in  the  Diana  of 
Grecian  sculpture,  in  which,  with  admirable  taste, 
it  is  neither  the  nutritive  nor  the  thinking,  but  the 
locomotive  system,  which  is  developed. 

I  have  already  said,  that  the  temperaments  of  the 
ancients  are  only  partial  views  of  some  of  the  vari- 
eties I  am  now  describing.  The  athletic  tempera- 
ment falls  under  the  last  of  these  varieties  ;  and  it 
is  the  only  one  that  falls  under  this  species.  Hap- 
pily, it  does  not  occur  in  woman. 

This  temperament  results  from  a  great  develop- 
ment of  the  bones  and  muscles,  and  it  is  that  of 
mere  physical  strength.  It  is  marked  by  all  the 
outward  signs  of  strength :  the  head  is  small,  the 
neck  thick  behind,  the  shoulders  broad,  the  chest 
expanded,  the  haunches  firm,  the  intervals  of  the 
muscles  deeply  marked,  the  tendons  apparent 
through  the  skin,  and  all  the  joints  not  covered  by 
muscles,  seemingly  small. 

In  this  temperament,  muscular  strength  prevails 
over  the  functions  of  the  other  organs,  and  espe» 
cially  usurps  the  energies  necessary  to  the  produc- 
tion of  thought ;  the  perceptions  are  deficient  in 
quickness,  delicacy,  accuracy,  and  strength ;  and 
all  the  mental  functions  are  with  difficulty  excited; 
but  the  body  is  capable  of  great  exertion,  and  it 
surmounts  great  physical  resistance  when  roused. 

The  Farnese  Hercules,  says  a  French  physiolO' 


202  BEAUTY  OF  THE  LOCOMOTIVE  SYSTEM. 

gist,  exhibits  a  model  of  the  physical  attributes  of 
this  constitution ;  and  that  which  fabulous  antiquity 
relates  of  the  exploits  of  this  demi-god,  gives  Us 
the  idea  of  the  moral  dispositions  that  accompany 
it.  In  the  history  of  his  twelve  labors,  without 
reflection,  and  as  by  instinct,  we  see  him  courage- 
ous, because  he  is  strong,  seeking  obstacles  to  con- 
quer them,  certain  of  overwhelming  whatever  re- 
sists him,  but  joining  to  such  strength  so  little  sub- 
tlety, that  he  is  cheated  by  all  the  kings  he  serves, 
and  by  all  the  women  he  loves. 


BEA'PTY  OF  THE  NUTRITIVE  SYSTEM.  203 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SECOND  SPECIES    OF   BEAUTY BEAUTY   OF   THE   NUTRI- 
TIVE   SYSTEM. 

With  the  vital  system  of  woman,  the  capacity  of 
the  pelvis,  and  the  consequent  breadth  of  the 
haunches,  are  still  more  connected  than  with  the 
locomotive  system  ;  for,  with  these,  all  those  func- 
tions which  are  most  essentially  feminine — im- 
pregnation, gestation,  and  parturition — are  inti- 
mately connected. 

Camper,  in  a  memoir  on  physical  beauty,  read  to 
the  Academy  of  Design,  at  Amsterdam,*  showed, 
that,  in  tracing  the  forms  of  the  male  and  female 
within  two  elliptical  areas  of  equal  size,  the  female 
pelvis  extended  beyond  the  ellipsis,  while  the  shoul- 
ders were  within ;  and  the  male  shoulders  reached 
beyond  their  ellipsis,  while  the  pelvis  was  within. — 
The  pelvis  of  the  African  woman  is  said  by  some 
to  be  greater  than  that  of  the  European. 

The  abdominal  and  lumbar  portion  of  the  trunk, 
as  already  said,  is  longer  in  woman.  In  persons 
above  the  common  stature,  there  is  almost  half  a 


Mcmoire  sur  le  Beau  Physique. 


204  SECOND   SPECIES    OF   BEAUTY. 

face  more  in  the  part  of  the  body  which  is  between 
the  mammse  and  the  bifurcation  of  the  trunk. 

The  abdomen,  placed  below  the  chest,  has  more 
projection  and  roundness  in  woman  than  in  man  : 
but  it  has  little  fulness  in  a  figure  capable  of  serv- 
ing as  a  model ;  and  the  slightest  alteration  in  its 
outlines  or  its  polish  is  injurious. 

The  waist,  which  is  most  distinctly  marked  in 
the  back  and  loins,  owes  all  its  advantages  to  its 
elegance,  softness,  and  flexibility. 

The  neck  should,  by  the  gentlest  curvature,  form 
an  almost  insensible  transition  between  the  body 
and  the  head.  It  should  also  present  fulness  suffi- 
cient to  conceal  the  projection  of  the  flute  part  of 
the  throat  in  front,  and  of  the  two  large  muscles 
which  descend  from  behind  the  ears  toward  the  pit 
above  the  breast-bone.* 

Over  all  these  parts,  the  predominance  of  the 
cellular  tissue,  and  the  soft  and  moderate  plump- 
ness which  is  connected  with  it,  arc  a  remarkable 
characteristic  of  the  vital  system  in  woman.  While 
this  facilitates  the  adaptation  of  the  locomotive 
system  to  every  change,  it  at  the  same  time  oblit- 
erates the  projection  of  the  muscles,  and  invests 
the  whole  figure  with  rounded  and  beautiful  forms 

It  has  been  well  observed  that  the  principal  ef 


*  A  curious  but  true  remark  is  made  by  Moreau,  namely,  thai 
if  these  conditions  are  met  with  without  being  united  to  a  certain 
expression,  and  to  the  most  complete  combination  of  the  elements 
of  beauty  of  countenance,  they  frequently  give  an  air  of  insensi- 
bility and  of  mental  weakness,  which  greatly  enfeebles  the  im- 
pression that  a  first  view  had  caused. 


THE   NUTRITIVE    SYSTEM.  205 

feet  of  such  forms  upon  the  observer  must  be  re- 
ferred to  the  faculties  which  they  reveal ;  for,  as 
remarked  by  Roussel,  if  we  examine  the  greater 
part  of  the  attributes  which  constitute  beauty,  if 
reason  analyze  that  which  instinct  judges  at  a 
glance,  we  shall  find  that  these  attributes  have  a 
reference  to  real  advantages  for  the  species.  A 
light  shape,  supple  movements,  whence  spring  bril- 
liance and  grace,  are  qualities  which  please,  because 
they  announce  the  good  condition  of  the  individual 
who  possesses  them,  and  the  greater  degree  of 
aptitude  for  the  functions  which  that  individual 
ought  to  fulfil. 

Beauty,  then,  of  the  nutritive  system  in  woman, 
depends  especially  upon  these  fundamental  facts, 
and  those  tendencies  of  structure  which  thus  dis- 
tinguish her  from  man. 

In  the  woman  possessing  this  species  of  beauty, 
therefore,  the  face  is  generally  rounded,  to  give 
greater  room  to  the  cavities  connected  with  nutri- 
tion ;  —  the  eyes  are  generally  of  the  softest  azure, 
which  is  similarly  associated  ;  —  the  neck  is  often 
rather  short,  in  order  intimately  to  connect  the 
head  with  the  nutritive  organs  in  the  trunk  ;  —  the 
shoulders  are  softly  rounded,  and  owe  any  breadth 
they  may  possess  rather  to  the  expanded  chest, 
containing  these  organs,  than  to  any  bony  or  mus- 
cular size  of  the  shoulders  themselves;  —  the  bo- 
som, a  vital  organ,  in  its  luxuriance  seems  laterally 
to  protrude  on  the  space  occupied  by  the  arms  ; — 
the  waist,  though  sufficiently  marked,  is,  as  it  were, 
encroached  on  by  that  plumpness  of  all  the  contig- 
18 


206  SECOND    SPECIES    OF   BEATTTY. 

tious  parts,  which  the  powerful  nutritive  system  af- 
fords ;  —  the  haunches  are  greatly  expanded  for  the 
vital  purposes  of  gestation  and  parturition  ; — the 
thighs  are  large  in  proportion;  —  hut  the  locomo- 
tive organs,  the  limbs  and  arms,  tapering  and  be- 
coming delicate,  terminate  in  feet  and  hands  which, 
compared  with  the  ample  trunk,  are  peculiarly 
small ;  —  the  complexion,  dependant  upon  nutrition, 
has  the  rose  and  lily  so  exquisitely  blended,  that 
we  are  surprised  it  should  defy  the  usual  operation 
of  the  elements  ;  —  and  there  is  a  luxuriant  profu- 
sion of  soft  and  fine  flaxen  or  auburn  hair.  —  The 
whole  figure  is  soft  and  voluptuous  in  the  extreme. 

To  this  class  belong  all  the  more  feminine,  soft, 
and  exquisitely-graceful  women. 

The  kind  of  beauty  thus  characterized  is  seen 
chiefly  in  the  Saxon  races  of  our  eastern  coast  j 
and  it  is  certainly  more  frequent  in  women  of  short 
stature. 

The  vital  system  is  peculiarly  the  system  of  wo- 
man ;  and  so  truly  is  this  the  case,  that  any  great 
employment,  either  of  the  locomotive  or  mental 
organs,  deranges  the  peculiar  functions  of  woman, 
and  destroys  the  characteristics  of  her  sex. 

Women  who  greatly  occupy  the  locomotive  or- 
gans, acquire  a  coarse  and  masculine  appearance  j 
and  so  well  is  this  incompatibility  of  power,  in  the 
use  of  locomotive  organs  with  the  exercise  of  vital 
ones,  known  to  the  best  female  dancers,  that,  du- 
ring the  time  of  their  engagements,  they  generally 
live  apart  from  their  husbands. 

As  to  intellectual  ladies,  they  either  seldom  be* 


THE    NUTRITIVE    SYSTEM.  207 

come  mothers,  or  they  become  intellectual  when 
they  cease  to  be  mothers. 

These  few  facts  are  worth  a  thousand  hypotheses 
and  dreams,  however  amiable  they  may  be. 

The  vital  system  is  relatively  largest  in  little 
women,  especially  after  they  have  been  mothers. 
The  shorter  stature  of  woman  ensures,  indeed,  in 
almost  all,  a  relative  excess  of  the  vital  system  af- 
ter, if  not  before,  they  become  mothers  ;  for,  what- 
ever the  stature,  the  mammae,  abdomen,  &c.,  neces- 
sarily expand.  In  those  of  short  stature,  these 
parts,  of  course,  become  nearly  as  large  as  in  the 
tall ;  and  this  circumstance  causes  them  to  touch 
on  the  limits  of  each  other  in  little  women. 

As,  in  pregnancy  and  suckling,  the  abdomen  and 
mammae  necessarily  expand,  and  as  they  would 
afterward  collapse  and  become  wrinkled,  were  not 
a  certain  degree  of  plumpness  acquired,  that  acqui- 
sition is  essential  to  beauty  in  mothers.  Meager- 
ness  in  them,  accordingly,  becomes  deformity. 

A  French  writer  indeed  says :  "  Most  of  our 
fashionables  are  extremely  slender  ;  they  have  con- 
stituted this  an  essential  to  beauty ;  leanness  is  in 
France  necessary  to  the  air  elegant.''''  It  must  be 
remembered,  however,  that  the  vital  system — that 
which  we  have  just  said  is  peculiarly  the  system  of 
woman — is,  in  its  most  beautiful  parts,  peculiarly 
defective  in  France ;  and  that,  owing  in  a  great 
measure  to  that  circumstance,  the  women  of  France 
are  among  the  ugliest  in  Europe.  —  But  of  that  in 
its  proper  place. 


208  SECOND  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTT. 

First  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

It  may  here  be  observed,  that  the  varieties  of 
beauty  of  the  locomotive  system,  and  also  those  of 
beauty  of  the  mental  system,  are  easily  explicable, 
because  these  systems  are,  in  some  respects,  more 
limited  and  simple.  The  varieties  of  beauty  of  the 
vital  system  are,  on  the  contrary,  more  difficult  of 
explanation,  because  that  system  is,  in  some  re- 
spects, more  diffused  and  complicated. 

Even  the  preparatory  vital  organs  and  functions 
differ  somewhat  in  the  two  sexes. 

Woman  has  frequently  a  smaller  number  of  molar 
teeth  than  man ;  those  called  wisdom  teeth  not 
always  appearing.  ]\Iastication  is  also  less  ener- 
getic in  woman. 

The  stomach,  in  woman,  is  much  smaller  ,  the 
appetite  for  food  is  less ;  hunger  does  not  appear 
to  press  her  so  imperiously  ;  and  her  consumption 
of  food  is  much  less  considerable.*  Hence,  in- 
dubitable cases  of  long  abstinence  from  food,  have 
generally  occurred  in  females. 

In  the  choice  and  the  preference  of  certain  ali- 
ments, woman  also  differs  much  from  man.  In 
general,  women  prefer  light  and  agreeable  food, 
which  flatters  the  palate  by  its  perfume  and  its 
savor.    Their  appetites  are  also  much  more  varied. 

Women,  whom  vicious  habits  have  not  depraved, 


•  Statistical  results  in  relation  to  the  supply  of  hospitals  and 
prisons,  carry  the  expense  of  a  man  much  beyond  that  of  a  woman. 


THE   NUTRITIVE   SYSTEM.  209 

use  also  beverages  less  abundantly  than  men. 
Fermented,  vinous,  and  spirituous  beverages  are 
indeed  used  only  by  the  monsters  engendered  in 
the  corruptions  of  towns  —  amid  the  insane  dissi- 
pation of  the  rich,  or  the  wretched  and  pitiable 
suffering  of  the  poor ;  and  both  are  then  brought 
to  one  humiliating  level,  marked  by  the  red  and 
pimpled,  or  the  pallid  face,  the  swimming  eye,  the 
haggard  features,  the  pestilential  breath.  The  scarf- 
skin  in  these  cases  divides  all  that  may  be  worthy 
from  all  that  is  utterly  worthless  :  the  worthy  part 
may  be  external  to  the  cuticle,  in  substantial, 
though  polluted  clothing ;  the  worthless  is  the  yet 
living  portion,  which,  whether  called  body  or  soul, 
is  no  longer  worth  picking  off  a  dunghill.* 

Digestion  in  woman  is  made,  however,  with  great 
rapidity  ;  and  the  whole  canal  interested  in  that 
process,  possesses  great  irritability. 

The  absorbent  vessels  in  woman  are  much  more 
developed,  and  seem"  to  enjoy  a  more  active  vi- 
tality. The  circumstances  of  pregnancy  and  suck- 
ling, appear  also  to  augment  the  energy  of  these 
vessels. 

The  FIRST  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  digestive  and  ab- 
sorbent system  is  small  but  active ;  for  the  great 
purpose  of  life  in  woman  is  secretion,  whether  it 
regard  the  formation  of  the  superficial  adipose  sub- 
stance which  invests  her  with  beautiful  and  attrac- 


Appendix  H. 

18* 


210  SECOND  SPECIES  OF  BEATTTY. 

tive  forms,  or  the  nutrition  of  the  new  being  which 
is  the  object  of  her  attractions  and  of  her  life. 

Hence  it  is,  that  women  naturally  and  instinct- 
ively affect  abstemiousness  and  delicacy  of  appetite. 
Hence  it  is,  that  they  compress  the  waist,  and  en- 
deavor to  render  it  slender. 

Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

Women  have,  in  greater  abundance  than  men, 
several  of  the  fluids  which  enter  into  the  composi- 
tion of  the  body.  They  appear  to  have  a  greater 
quantity  of  blood  ;  and  they  certainly  have  more 
frequent  and  more  considerable  hemorrhages.  There 
is  less  force  in  the  circulation  and  respiration;  but 
the  heart  beats  more  rapidly.  The  pulse  also  is 
less  full,  but  it  is  quicker. 

In  woman,  the  purer  lily  and  more  vivid  rose  of 
complexion,  depend  on  various  causes. 

It  would  appear  that,  in  women,  the  blood  is  in 
general  carried  less  abundantly  to  the  surface  and 
to  the  extremities,  where  also  the  white  vessels  are 
more  developed ;  and  that,  to  this,  as  well  as  to  the 
subjacent  adipose  substance,  the  skin  owes  its 
whiteness. 

In  youth,  however,  one  of  the  constituent  parts 
of  the  skin,  the  reticular  tissue,  or  whatever  the 
substance  under  the  scarf-skin  may  be  called,  ap- 
pears to  be  more  expanded,  especially  in  women; 
and  it  would  seem  that  this  tissue  is  then  filled 
with  a  blood  which  is  less  dark,  and  which  forms 
the  coloring  of  youth.     This,  difllerently  modified 


THE  NUTRITIVE   SYSTEM.  211 

by  the  scarf-skin,  gives  the  blue,  the  purple,  and 
and  all  the  teints  formed  by  these  and  the  color  of 
the  skin.  Where  the  vessels  are  more  patent,  and 
the  skin  more  thin,  delicate,  and  transparent,  as  in 
the  cheeks,  the  hue  of  the  rose  is  cast  over  that  of 
the  lily.  In  addition  to  this,  the  slightest  emotions 
of  surprise,  of  pleasure,  of  love,  of  shame,  of  fear, 
often  diversify  all  these  teints. 

Lightness  of  complexion,  however,  is  probably 
dependant  more  particularly  on  the  arterial  circula- 
tion, and  darkness  of  complexion  on  the  venous 
circulation  ;  for  we  know  that  in  fairer  woman  the 
arteries  possess  greater  energy,  while  in  darker 
man  the  veins  are  more  developed,  larger,  and 
fuller. 

Farther  confirmation  of  this  is  afforded  by  an 
observation,  which  physiologists  have  neglected  to 
make,  that  the  kidneys,  receiving  arterial  blood, 
are  the  artery-relieving  glands,  while  the  liver,  re- 
ceiving venous  blood,  is  the  vein-relieving  gland. 
Now,  it  is  certain  that,  in  cold  climates,  the  urinary 
secretion  and  fairness  prevail ;  while,  in  hot  cli- 
mates, the  hepatic  secretion  and  darkness  prevail. 
Many  physiologists  have  indeed  made  the  insulated 
remark,  that  the  dark  complexion  has  much  to  do 
with  the  hepatic  secretion.  The  more  abundant 
urinary  and  hepatic  secretions,  however,  may  not 
be  the  causes,  but  only  concomitant  effects  of  the 
same  cause  with  fairness  and  darkness  of  com- 
plexion. 

The  SECOND  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  circulating  vessels, 


512  SECOND  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTY. 

being  moderately  active  and  finely  ramified,  bestow 
upon  the  skin  a  whiteness,  a  transparencj'^,  and  a 
complexion,  which  are  necessary  to  beauty. 

The  whiteness,  the  transparency,  and  the  color 
of  the  skin,  have,  in  all  highly  civilized  nations, 
been  deemed  essential  conditions  of  beauty. 

The  ancients  regarded  whiteness,  in  particular, 
as  the  distinctive  character  of  beauty ;  and  they 
estimated  that  character  so  highly,  that  the  name 
of  Venus,  from  the  Celtic  ven,  ben,  or  ban,  signifies 
white,  or  whiteness;  and  Venus  herself  is  said  to 
be  fair  and  golden-haired. 

Among  the  civilized  moderns,  also  a  taste  which 
women  seek  always  to  satisfy,  is  that  for  whiteness 
of  the  skin  :  hence,  the  white  lily,  new-fallen  snow, 
white  marble,  or  alabaster,  are  the  images  which 
poetry  employs,  when  the  color  of  a  woman  is  its 
subject.  So  greatly,  indeed,  does  whiteness  con- 
tribute to  beauty,  that  many  women  deemed  beauti- 
ful by  us,  have  little  other  right  to  that  epithet  ex- 
cept what  they  derive  from  a  beautiful  skin. 

Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

The  branches  of  the  great  artery  of  the  body, 
the  aorta,  supplying  the  abdomen  and  pelvis,  are 
larger  in  woman  than  in  man,  as  well  as  more  ha- 
bitually liable  to  variation  in  the  quantity  of  their 
contents.  The  quantity  of  blood,  also,  which  pas- 
ses to  the  abdomen,  is  greater. 

At  the  same  time,  the  excretions  are  generally 
less  in  woman.     Hippocrates  says :  "  J^am  corpus 


THE  NtTTRITIVE  SYSTEM.  213 

muliehre  minus  dissipatur  quam  virile;"  the  expend- 
iture of  the  body  of  woman  is  less  than  that  of 
man. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  the  secretions,  nutrition, 
in  particular,  must  be  greater.  We  actually  know 
them  to  be  so. 

But  the  nourishment  of  the  organs  concerned  in 
locomotion  is  less  active,  and  that  of  the  cellular 
and  adipose  substance  is  generally  more  active, 
than  in  man.  And  on  this,  important  consequences 
depend. 

Woman  is  subject  to  crises  which  would  destroy 
all  her  organs,  if  they  offered  too  powerful  a  re- 
sistance. Some  parts  of  her  body  are  exposed  to 
great  shocks,  to  alternate  extensions,  compres- 
sions, and  reductions,  which  could  not  take  place 
with  impunity,  but  by  means  of  this  predominance 
of  the  cellular  and  adipose  structure. 

The  cellular  expansion,  the  general  basis  of  the 
structure,  appears  then  to  be  more  abundant  in 
woman,  more  lax  and  yielding,  more  dilated  and 
fuller  of  liquids  ;  and  it  is  by  yielding  gradually, 
by  decomposing  and  weakening  shocks  by  means 
of  the  general  suppleness  of  the  different  organs, 
thus  procured,  that  nature  seems,  in  woman,  to 
avoid,  or  to  destroy,  every  hurtful  effort. 

It  is  observed,  moreover,  that  certain  parts,  nat- 
urally more  loose,  receive  into  all  their  vessels  a 
more  considerable  quantity  of  liquid,  and  assume 
a  particular  enlargement,  at  the  moment  when 
their  sympathy  with  the  uterus  causes  them  to 
enter  into  action  in  concert  with  it ;  and  it  is  also 


214  SECOND  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTY. 

observed  that  they  dilate  more  easily  during  preg- 
nancy. 

It  is  thus,  then,  that  nature  gives  to  all  the  parts 
of  woman  that  suppleness  which  renders  her  capa- 
ble of  easily  yielding  to  the  great  revolutions 
which  affect  her  organization  in  regard  to  repro- 
duction, as  well  as  mark  the  different  periods  of 
her  life. 

The  great  development  of  the  cellular  and  fatty 
tissue  in  woman  is  illustrated  by  the  remarkable 
fact,  that  anciently  the  Romans,  in  order  to  burn 
the  bodies  of  dead  men,  were  obliged  to  join  to 
them  those  of  women,  the  fat  of  which  greatly  fa- 
cilitated combustion. 

Now,  with  the  great  purposes  described  above, 
beauty  is  naturally  associated.  It  is  principally 
this  excess  of  the  cellular  and  fatty  tissues  which 
gives  to  the  members  of  woman  those  round  and 
beautiful  outlines,  that  soft  and  polished  surface, 
which  the  body  of  man  does  not  possess. 

In  every  part,  however,  of  the  human  figure,  as 
observed  by  Reynolds,  "  when  not  spoiled  by  too 
great  corpulency,  will  be  found  distinctness,  the 
parts  never  appearing  uncertain  or  confused,  or  as 
a  musician  would  say,  slurred ;  and  all  those  small- 
er parts  which  are  comprehended  in  the  larger 
compartment  are  still  found  to  be  there,  however 
marked." 

Now,  while  all  this  is  the  case,  it  appears  that 
the  true  skin  is  much  thinner  and  more  delicate  in 
woman  than  in  man,  and  that  it  derives  more  or 
less  of  its  clear  whiteness  from  the  quantity  of  fat 


THE  NTTTRITIVE  SYSTEM.  215 

which  is  below  it ;  for  meagerness  inevitably  tar- 
nishes and  dries  it.  Hence,  to  possess  a  fine,  soft, 
white,  and  fresh  skin,  it  is  also  indispensable  to 
possess  plumpness. 

In  relation  to  this  purer  white,  it  must  also  be 
observed,  that  transpiration,  which  might  soil  it, 
appears  to  be  much  less  abundant  in  woman ;  and 
that  the  liver  or  vein-relieving  gland,  is  very  large. 
The  excretions  of  the  skin  in  women  are  indeed 
chiefly  limited  to  certain  parts  ;  and  it  is  thence 
that  it  has,  in  various  parts,  an  odor  which  a 
French  writer  observes  "  it  is  difficult  to  describe, 
but  which  an  exercised  sense  of  smell  easily  suc- 
ceeds in  distinguishing  in  women  who  fully  enjoy 
all  the  attributes  of  their  sex,  and  who  are  women 
even  in  the  atmosphere  which  exhales  from  them." 

While  the  skin  is  thus  more  white  in  women,  it 
is  also  more  transparent.  The  reticular  tissue,  or 
substance  interposed  between  the  true  skin  and" 
scarf-skin,  appears  to  have  more  clearness  and 
turgescence,  especially  on  the  face,  where,  under 
the  influence  of  various  emotions,  it  easily  permits 
a  passage  to  the  blood,  as  we  see  in  blushing.  It 
is  in  youth  that  this  turgescence  and  clearness  are 
most  evident. 

Hence,  the  skin  in  woman  less  conceals  the 
veins,  of  which  the  color,  only  enfeebled  or  modi- 
fied by  the  skin,  "  gives  all  those  shades  of  azure 
which  the  charmed  eye  follows  with  so  much 
pleasure  on  the  surface  of  the  bosom  and  of  all  the 
parts  where  the  skin  has  least  of  thickness." 

All    this    constitutes   freshness,   or   animation, 


216  SECOND  SPECIES  OF  BEAUTY. 

which  is  nearly  sjmonymous  with  heahh,  and  with- 
out which  there  is  no  beauty.  When  that  quality, 
as  observed  by  Roussel,  "  is  wanting,  all  other 
attractions  strike  but  feebly,  because  the  prompt 
judgment,  which  instinct  suggests,  warns  us  that 
the  woman  whose  person  does  not  present  all  the 
characters  of  perfect  health,  is  in  a  disposition  lit- 
tle favorable  to  the  plan  of  nature,  relatively  to  the 
maintenance  of  the  species." 

The  whiteness  and  the  animation  of  the  skin, 
however,  do  not  alone  constitute  its  beauty :  there 
is  still  another  quality  which  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  it.  This  is  the  softness  and  the  polish 
which,  as  the  reader  has  seen,  is  one  of  the  first 
conditions  of  physical  beauty.  In  woman,  this  is 
probably  derived  from  a  slight  degree  of  oleagin- 
ous secretion.  Hence,  she  has  few  asperities  of 
the  skin,  especially  on  the  surface  of  the  bosom, 
and  other  parts,  where  the  skin  is  excessively 
smooth. 

Brown  women,  who  probably  have  more  of  this 
oleaginous  secretion,  are  said  to  possess  in  a  great- 
er degree  the  polish  of  skin  which  gives  impres- 
sions so  agreeable  to  the  organ  of  touch ;  and 
hence,  Winckelmann  has  said  that  persons  who 
prefer  brown  women  to  fair  ones  allow  themselves 
to  be  captivated  by  the  touch  rather  than  the  sight. 
There  is  reason,  however,  to  doubt  the  accuracy 
of  this.  Brown  women  appear  to  have  greater 
softness,  but  less  smoothness  of  skin. 

The  body  of  woman  is  nearly  deprived  of  hairs 
upon  all  parts,  except  the  head,  axillae,  &c.  j  and 


THE  NUTRITIVE  SYSTEM.  217 

the  hair  of  her  head  is  generally  long,  fine,  and 
flexible. 

The  quantity  and  the  color  of  the  hair  are  al- 
ways in  relation  to  the  constitution  of  the  individ- 
ual to  which  it  belongs,  and  generally  to  the  tem- 
perature of  the  place.  The  people  of  northern 
countries  have  the  hair  of  a  silken  fineness  and  of 
surprising  length. 

The  hair  which  is  most  admired  is  not  only  very 
fine  and  flexible,  but  light  colored.  Fair  golden 
hair  was,  of  all  its  teints,  that  which  the  ancient 
artists  preferred. 

In  woman,  the  hair  of  the  head  whitens  and  falls 
later  than  in  man. 

It  is  curious  that,  in  regard  to  the  hair,  the  dis- 
tinctive characters  of  the  sexes  should  not  always 
have  been  preserved.  Though  nature  gives  long 
hair  to  woman,  it  has  sometimes  been  the  fashion 
to  wear  it  short  ;  and  though  man  has  naturally 
shorter  hair,  it  has  sometimes  been  the  fashion  to 
cherish  its  growth,  and  to  shave  the  beard  from 
his  face.  The  latter  has  especially  been  the  case 
in  degenerate  and  effeminate  times ;  and  this  has 
sometimes  been  accompanied  by  remarkable  con- 
sequences. 

One  of  the  greatest  misfortunes,  says  a  French 
writer,  which  France  ever  had  to  lament,  the  divorce 
of  Louis  le  Jeune  from  Elinor  of  Guyenne,  resulted 
from  the  fashion,  which  this  prince  wished  to  in- 
troduce, of  shaving  his  chin  and  cropping  his  head. 
The  queen,  his  wife,  who  appears  to  have  possessed, 
with  a  masculine  beauty,  considerable  acuteness  of 
19 


218  SECOND    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

intellect,  observed  with  some  displeasure,  that  she 
imagined  herself  to  have  espoused  a  monarch,  not 
a  monk.  The  obstinacy  of  Louis  in  shaving  him- 
self, and  the  horror  conceived  by  Elinor  at  the  sight 
of  a  beardless  chin,  occasioned  France  the  loss  of 
those  fine  provinces  which  constituted  the  dowry 
of  this  princess ;  and  v^hich,  devolving  to  England 
by  a  second  marriage,  became  the  source  of  wars 
which  desolated  France  during  four  hundred  years. 

The  habit  of  wearing  the  beard  is  a  manly  and 
noble  one.  Nature  made  it  distinctive  of  the  male 
and  female ;  and  its  abandonment  has  commonly 
been  accompanied  not  only  by  periods  of  general 
effeminacy,  but  even  by  the  decline  and  fall  of 
states.  They  were  bearded  Romans  who  con- 
quered the  then  beardless  Greeks ;  they  were 
bearded  Goths  who  vanquished  the  then  beardless 
Romans ;  and  they  are  bearded  Tartars  who  now 
promise  once  more  to  inundate  the  regions  occu- 
pied by  the  shaven  and  effeminate  people  of  west- 
ern Europe. 

In  farther  illustration  of  the  manliness  of  this 
habit  we  may  observe,  that  throughout  Europe, 
wars  have  generally  led  to  its  temporary  and  par- 
tial introduction,  as  at  the  present  day.  Those 
assuredly  blunder,  who  ridicule  the  wearing  of  the 
beard.  Silly  affectation,  on  the  contrary,  is  im- 
putable only  to  those  Avho,  by  removing  the  beard, 
take  the  trouble  so  far  to  emasculate  themselves ! 
and  who  think  themselves  beautified  by  an  unnatural 
imitation  of  the  smoother  face  of  woman  ! 

As  appendages  of  the   skin,  the  nails  may  here 


THE    NUTRITIVE    SYSTEM.  219 

be  noticed.  Their  beauty  consists  in  their  figure, 
their  surface,  and  their  color. 

By  their  figure,  they  serve  as  a  defence  to  the 
delicate  extremities  of  the  fingers,  which  would 
otherwise  be  easily  hurt  against  hard  bodies. 
They  form  at  once  shields  and  supporting  arches 
to  the  fingers;  and  they  give  facility  in  laying 
hold  of  bodies  which  would  escape  from  their 
smallness.  They  ought  accordingly  to  be  arched, 
and  to  extend  as  far  as  the  fiesh  which  terminates 
the  fingers.  —  The  form  of  the  nails  depends  much 
on  the  care  employed  in  cutting  them  during  in- 
fancy, and  still  more  on  the  mode  of  employing 
the  hand. 

The  nails  ought  also  to  be  smooth  and  polished, 
somewhat  transparent,  and  rose-colored.  Their 
rosy  color  seems  to  show  that  their  texture  has 
less  density  and  more  transparence. 

It  is  in  this  view  of  the  nutritive  system  and 
the  characteristics  which  render  it  beautiful,  and 
especially  after  this  portion  of  it  which  regards  the 
organs  and  functions  of  secretion,  that  the  mammae 
and  their  beauty  should  be  considered. 

In  woman,  the  bust  is  smaller  and  more  rounded 
than  in  man ;  and  it  is  distinguished  by  the  volume 
and  the  elegant  form  of  the  bosom. 

The  external  and  elevated  position  of  the  mammae 
is  by  far  the  most  suitable  for  a  nursling,  which, 
no  longer  deriving  subsistence  from  within  the 
mother,  nor  yet  able  of  itself  to  find  it  without, 
must  be  gently  and  softly  borne  toward  her ;  an 
admirable  position,  says  a  French  writer,  "  which, 


220  SECOND    SPECIES    OF   BEAUTY. 

in  keeping  the  infant  under  the  eyes  and  in  the 
arms  of  the  mother,  establishes  between  them  an 
interesting  exchange  of  tenderness,  of  cares,  and 
of  innocent  caresses,  which  enables  the  one  the 
better  to  express  its  wants,  and  the  other  to  enjoy 
the  sacrifices  which  she  makes,  in  continually  con- 
templating their  object." 

According  to  Buffbn,  in  order  that  the  mammae 
be  well  placed,  it  is  necessary  that  the  space  be- 
tween them  should  be  as  great  as  that  from  the 
mammae  to  the  middle  of  the  depression  between 
the  clavicles,  so  that  these  three  points  form  an 
equilateral  triangle. 

The  two  portions  of  the  mammae  should  be  well 
detached.  The  whole  presents,  in  beautiful  models, 
more  elegance  than  volume ;  and  the  areola,  it 
may  be  observed,  is  red  in  fair  women  and  deeper 
colored  in  brown  ones. 

Winckelmann  observes  that,  in  the  antique 
statues,  the  mammae  terminate  gently  in  a  point, 
and  that  they  Jiave  always  virginal  forms,  as  a 
consequence  of  the  system  of  the  ancient  artists, 
which  consists  in  not  recalling  in  the  ideal  the 
wants  and  the  accidents  of  humanity. 

Finally  on  this  particular  head,  I  must  observe 
that  the  reproduction  of  the  species  is,  in  woman, 
the  most  important  object  of  life,  and  that  every 
thing  in  her  physical  organization  has  evident  re- 
ference to  it.  Of  all  the  passions  in  woman,  says 
Richerand,  "  love  has  the  greatest  sway :  it  has 
even  been  said  to  be  her  only  passion.  All  the 
others  are   modified  by  it,  and  receive  from  it  a 


THE    NUTRITIVE    SYSTEM.  221 

peculiar  cast,  which  distinguishes  them  from  thoso 
of  man.  .  .  .  Fontenelle  used  to  say  of  the  devo- 
tion of  some  women,  '  One  may  see  that  love  has 
been  here.'  It  has  been  said,  in  speaking  of  St. 
Theresa,  '  To  love  God,  is  still  to  love.''  Thomas 
maintains  that,  '  With  women  a  man  is  more  than 
a  nation.'  —  'Love,'  says  Madame  de  Stael,  '  is  but 
an  episode  in  the  life  of  man  ;  it  is  the  whole  history 
of  the  life  of  woman.'  " 

The  THIRD  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  secreting  vessels 
being  active,  not  only  cause  the  plumpness,  &c., 
necessary  to  beauty,  but  furnish  the  mammary  and 
uterine  secretions,  on  which  progeny  is  dependant. 
This  must  inevitably  be  followed  by  moderate  ex- 
cretions. 

It  should  not  pass  unobserved  that  there  exist, 
in  some  women,  a  fair  skin  and  dark  hair,  forming 
a  rather  extraordinary  and  striking  combination. 
As  such  women  have  the  skin  remarkably  smooth 
and  moist,  this  is  probably  connected  with  some 
peculiarity  of  secretion  and  excretion. 

It  is  evidently  the  UNioisr  of  all  that  is  good  in 
these  varieties  which  renders  beauty  in  the  vital 
system  perfect. 

This  union  is  nowhere  so  frequently  to  be  seen, 
as  in  England  and  in  Holland, 

It  is  curious  that  cleanliness  among  women 
seems  necessarily  to  increase  with  the  develop- 
ment of  this  system  ;  and  that,  in  general  slovenli- 
ness and  filth  increase  as  we  pass  from  England 
19* 


222  SECOND    SPECIES    OF   BEAtTTT. 

and  Holland,  toward  France,  Italy,  Spain,  and  Por- 
tugal, even  among  women  of  the  highest  condition. 

Of  the  temperaments  of  the  ancients,  which,  as 
already  said,  are  only  partial  views  of  some  of  the 
varieties  I  am  now  describing,  two,  the  phlegmatic 
temperament  and  the  sanguine  temperament^  appear 
to  belong  fundamentally  to  this  species.  It  has 
been  supposed,  that  the  first  affects  the  absorbent, 
the  second  the  circulating  system.  They  appear 
to  me  to  be  exactly  opposite  affections  of  the  whole 
nutritive  system  at  least. 

The  phlegmatic  temperament  may  exist  in  both 
sexes.  The  causes  which  tend  to  develop  it,  are 
infancy,  humidity  with  cold,  the  absence  of  light, 
indolence,  and  the  feeble  influence  of  the  repro- 
ductive functions  upon  the  general  system. 

In  this  temperament,  there  exists  an  excess  in 
the  proportions  of  the  absorbent  vessels  ;  the  pulse 
is  weak,  slow,  and  soft ;  there  is  a  turgescence  of 
the  cellular  tissue,  and  a  more  marked  development 
of  the  glands  ;  the  internal  stimulants,  having  less 
energy  than  in  the  other  temperaments,  life  is  less 
active,  and  all  its  actions  are  more  or  less  languid ; 
even  the  uterus  is  not  endowed  with  suitable 
energy. 

But  these  characteristics  are  not  confined  to  the 
nutritive  system  :  they  extend  to  the  thinking  ono. 
The  attention  is  not  continuous ;  the  perceptions 
succeed  with  some  difficulty ;  the  memory  is  not 
to  be  trusted  ;  the  imagination  is  weak  ;  and  the 
propensities,  the  appetites,  and  the  passions,  are  so 


THK   NUTRITIVE   SYSTEM.  223 

languid,  as  to  be  scarcely  capable  of  troubling  the 
quietude  and  the  indolence  which  depend  on  such 
a  constitution. 

These  characteristics  of  the  phlegmatic  temper- 
ament, present  to  us  forms  more  rounded  and  less 
expressive,  a  general  softness,  a  feeble  color  of  the 
skin,  a  sort  of  etiolation,  a  pale  countenance,  a  light 
and  abundant  hair,  and,  generally,  an  insurmount- 
able inclination  to  sloth,  averse  alike  to  labors  of 
the  mind  and  body. 

It  has  been  observed,  that  the  sanguine  tem- 
perament, so  generally  met  with  among  northern 
nations,  is  the  necessary  consequence  of  the  con- 
tinual and  very  energetic  reaction  of  the  powers  of 
circulation,  against  the  effects  of  external  cold ; 
that  it  is  only  by  the  constant  activity  of  the  heart 
and  vessels  that  calorification  can  be  effected  with 
the  necessary  vigor :  and  that  the  effects  of  this 
redoubled  action  are  the  same  to  the  organs  of  cir- 
culation as  to  the  muscles,  under  the  influence  of 
volition  ;  exertion  in  both  increasing  the  power  of 
the  organs  exerted. 

In  the  sanguine  temperament,  the  lymphatic,  cir- 
culating, and  secreting  systems  appear  to  be  in  a 
sort  of  equilibrium ;  the  chest  is  larger,  and  the 
lungs  more  voluminous;  the  circulation  is  more 
rapid,  the  arterial  predominance  is  obvious ;  the 
pulse  is  sharp,  frequent,  and  regular ;  the  com- 
plexion is  ruddy ;  all  the  vital  actions  are  extreme- 
ly easy  ;  and  the  health  is  rarely  altered. 

The  mental  functions  correspond.  The  concep- 
tion is  quick  ;  the   memory  is  prompt ;  the  imagi- 


224  BEAUTY  OF  THE  NUTRITIVE    SVSTEM. 

nation  is  lively;  the  judgment  has  more  readiness 
than  depth  and  extent ;  the  mind,  easily  affected 
by  the  impressions  of  outward  objects,  passes 
rapidly  from  one  idea  to  another;  the  tastes,  pro- 
pensities, appetites,  passions,  are  equally  epheme- 
ral ;  and  there  is  much  activity,  but  the  strength  is 
soon  exhausted. 

In  persons  of  this  temperament,  the  countenance 
is  animated  ;  the  hair  is  fair,  and  inclining  to  chest- 
nut ;  the  shape  is  good ;  the  form  is  softened, 
though  distinct ;  and  the  muscles  are  of  tolerable 
consistence,  and  moderate  development.  The  whole 
appearance  is  generally  so  amiable,  that  this  tem- 
perament may  be  called  that  of  health,  beauty,  and 
happiness. 

In  the  women  who  present  the  attributes  of  their 
sex  with  the  greatest  unity,  we  distinguish,  espe- 
cially during  youth  and  adult  age,  the  traits  of  the 
sanguine  temperament,  which  may  be  regarded  as 
the  most  suitable  to  the  organization  of  woman. 


BEAUTY  OF   THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  225 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THIRD  SPECIES   OF   BEAUTY  —  BEAUTY  OF    THE    THINKING 
SYSTEM. 

In  woman,  the  organs  of  sense  are  proportionally 
larger,  and  the  sensibility  is  more  quick  and  deli- 
cate than  in  man. 

Hence,  also,  the  mental  quickness  and  delicacy 
of  woman  are  greater.  Her  perceptions  succeed 
with  rapidity  and  intenseness  ;  and  the  last  of  them 
generally  predominates.  In  well-organized  women, 
accordingly,  the  forehead  and  the  observing  facul- 
ties are  peculiarly  developed. 

The  general  nervous  system  of  woman  is  like- 
wise far  more  mobile  than  that  of  man. 

Beauty  of  the  thinking  system  in  woman  depends 
especially  upon  these  fundamental  facts,  and  those 
tendencies  of  structure,  which  thus  distinguish  her 
from  man. 

In  the  woman  possessing  this  species  of  beauty, 
accordingly,  the  greater  development  of  its  upper 
part  gives  to  the  head,  in  every  view,  a  pyriform 
appearance;  —  the  face  is  generally  oval;  —  the 
high  and  pale  forehead  announces  the  excellence 
of  the  observing  faculties  ; — the  intensely  expres- 
sive eye  is  full  of  sensibility  ; — in  the  lower  fea- 
tures, modesty  and  dignity  are  often  united  ;  —  she 


226  THIRD    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

has  not  the  expanded  bosom,  the  general  plump- 
ness, or  the  beautiful  complexion,  of  the  second 
species  of  beauty;  —  and  she  boasts  easy  and 
graceful  motion,  rather  than  the  elegant  proportion 
of  the  first.  — The  whole  figure  is  characterized  by 
intellectuality  and  grace. 

This  species  of  beauty  is  less  proper  to  woman, 
less  feminine,  than  the  preceding.  It  is  not  the 
intellectual  system,  but  the  vital  one,  which  is,  and 
ought  to  be  most  developed  in  woman. 

First  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

In  woman,  the  nervous  extremities  appear  to  be 
larger  than  in  man ;  a  pulpy  appearance  is  more 
remarkable  in  them  ;  and  the  papillee  in  which  they 
terminate,  appear  to  have  less  rigidity. 

The  organs  of  sense  are  proportionally  larger, 
and  more  delicately  outlined.  There  is  indeed  in 
woman  more  development  in  the  organs  of  sensa- 
tion, than  in  that  of  understanding,  reasoning,  and 
judging ;  while  the  contrary  is  the  case  in  man. 
The  sensations,  accordingly,  are  in  woman  more 
acute,  and  their  minute  differences  arc  more  easily 
discerned.  Man  reflects  more  than  he  feels  :  woman 
always  feels  more  than  she  reflects. 

The  FIRST  3I0DIFICATI0N,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of  the 
organs  of  sense  is  proportionally  large,  and  the 
sensibility  greater. 

It  ought  to  be  observed,  that  though,  in  woman, 
when  well  organized,  the  whole  head  is  propor- 


THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  IT  227 

tibnally  less  than  in  man,  yet,  the  organs  of  sense 
will  be  found  to  be  proportionally  larger.  This 
sufficiently  indicates  the  importance  of  such  pro- 
portional development.  Upon  it,  indeed,  depend 
that  increased  sensibility  and  quickness  of  observa- 
tion, which  are  essential  to  the  female  character. 

Second  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

Of  all  parts  of  the  brain  in  woman,  when  well 
formed,  the  forehead,  especially,  is  found  to  be 
large.  Without  this,  she  would  have  sensibility 
without  observation,  a  most  unhappy  condition  of 
the  nervous  system. 

In  woman,  the  brain  partakes  of  the  softness  of 
all  the  other  parts  of  her  structure.  The  cellular 
tissue  which  covers  it,  and  which  descends  between 
its  convolutions,  is  more  abundant,  mucous,  and 
loose. 

The  mind,  correspondingly,  is  more  impressed  by 
any  new  object  of  thought ;  the  whole  nervous  sys- 
tem is  more  extensively  affected  by  impressions  on 
the  brain ;  the  propensity  to  emotion  is  stronger, 
and  women  are  more  habitually  under  its  influence. 

The  intimate  connexion  of  the  thinking,  with  a 
peculiar  modification  of  the  reproductive  faculties, 
inspires  in  woman  the  want  of  maternity,  which  is 
more  powerful  than  life,  and  which  renders  her  ca- 
pable of  every  sacrifice.  Associated  with  this,  are 
her  affection,  tenderness,  and  compassion. 

Upon  the  whole,  sensibility  in  woman  is  greater 
than  understanding  j  the  involuntary  play  of  the 


228  THIRD   SPECIES    OF   BEATTTY. 

imagination,  more  active  than  its  regulated  combi- 
nations ;  and  passion,  generally  of  the  gentler  kind, 
predominates  rather  than  resolve  or  determination. 
She  has,  therefore,  more  finesse  and  activity,  than 
depth  or  force  of  thought ;  and  her  nervous  system 
is  also  more  frequently  deranged  by  accidents  un- 
known to  man. 

The  extent  of  the  brain,  anteriorly,  is  measured 
by  the  different  degrees  of  the  opening  of  an  an- 
gle, which  Camper  has  called  the  facial  angle  ;  and 
so  far  it  is  favorable  to  woman  well  conformed ; 
but  it  gives  no  notion  of  the  magnitude  of  the  brain 
superiorly,  posteriorly,  or  laterally.* 

The  brain  of  woman,  however,  in  general,  ex- 
tends a  good  deal  posteriorly  as  well  as  anteriorly, 
though  it  narrows  in  the  former  of  these  directions ; 
and,  to  the  proportional  length  thus  acquired,  is 
owing  that  intensity  in  her  functions,  which  I  have 
just  described.  Superiorly,  centrally,  and  laterally, 
the  brain  of  woman  is  generally  much  less  than 
that  of  man  ;  and  hence  the  want  of  elevation, 
depth,  and  endurance,  in  her  mental  faculties.! 

Upon  the  whole,  the  brain  of  woman  is  less  than 
that  of  man,  and  it  is  especially  less  in  its  superior, 
central,  and,  intellectually  considered,  more  im- 
portant portions. 

The  SECOND  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  spe- 
cies of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of 


•  Appendix  I. 

t  See  the  causes  of  this  explained  in  my  work  on  ''  Physiog- 
nomy." 


THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  229 

the  brain  is  proportionally  small.  This  is  an  evi- 
dent corollary  from  what  we  have  just  stated  as  to 
the  first  modification  of  this  species  ;  for  it  is  not 
possible  that  the  organs  of  sense  should  be  propor- 
tionally large,  without  the  rest  of  the  head  being 
proportionally  small. 

This  is  not  quite  conformable  with  the  wishes  of 
phrenology ;  but  we  must  leave  any  dispute  be- 
tween that  art  and  nature  to  its  own  issue.  A  Ve- 
nus, moreover,  with  a  small,  yet  beautifully  propor- 
tioned head,  is  often  seen  to  be  the  mother  of  a  boy 
who  has  a  large  head ;  the  diflference  of  sex  caus- 
ing a  vast  modification  and  difference  of  develop- 
ment. 

Third  Variety  or  Modification  of  this  Species  of  Beauty. 

From  what  has  been  already  said,  it  may  be  con- 
cluded that,  in  action  or  conduct,  women  are  less 
guided  by  intellect,  and  are  more  biased  by  feeling 
and  emotion ;  and  it  may  also  be  concluded,  that 
all  their  movements  to  fulfil  the  purposes  of  feeling 
and  emotion,  are  made  in  a  manner  more  easy  and 
more  prompt,  though  less  sustained.  This  is  in- 
creased by  the  ready  obedience  of  the  muscular 
fibre,  and  the  relative  shortness  of  the  stature. 

This  more  easy  and  less  forcible  action  is  per- 
fectly conformable  physically  with  the  small  and 
elongated  form  of  the  cerebel,  or  organ  of  the  will, 
in  woman ;  as  it  is  morally  with  the  part  which 
woman  performs  in  life,  and  her  desire  to  please, 
while  it  is  that  of  man  to  protect  and  to  defend. 
20 


230  THIRD    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

Conformably  with  the  smaller  size  of  the  cere- 
bel,  and  especially  with  its  smaller  breadth  (the 
influence  of  which  is  explained  in  the  work  last 
referred  to),  the  disposition  of  woman  to  sustained 
exertion,  whether  mental  or  bodily,  is  much  less  j 
and  hence  the  character  "  varium  et  mutabile  sem- 
per  f(Bminay 

It  is,  then,  the  prompt  and  easily-afTected  sensi- 
bility of  woman,  not  her  understanding  or  force  of 
mind,  which  renders  her  so  eminently  fit  to  be  in- 
terested in  infancy,  which  enables  her  to  surmount 
maternal  pains  by  the  sentiment  of  affection  and 
pity,  and  which  makes  agreeable  to  her  the  cares 
and  the  details  of  housekeeping ;  and  it  is  this 
which  sometimes  renders  nothing  too  irksome  or 
too  painful  for  a  mother,  a  wife,  or  a  mistress,  to 
endure. 

Hence,  the  constitution  of  woman  is  perfectly 
adapted  to  these  functions  ;  hence,  her  existence  is 
more  sedentary  than  man's  ;  hence,  she  has  more 
gentleness  of  character  than  he  ;  and  hence,  she 
is  less  acquainted  with  great  crimes. 

The  THIRD  MODIFICATION,  therefore,  of  this  species 
of  beauty,  is  that  in  which  the  development  of  the 
cerebel  or  organ  of  the  will,  as  well  as  the  muscles 
which  it  actuates,  is  proportionally  small. 

The  situation  of  this  considerable  organ  is  in  the 
back  and  lower  part  of  the  head,  and  may  be  pretty 
accurately  indicated  by  saying,  that  a  line  passing 
through  it  would  complete,  posteriorly,  a  longer 
line  passing  backward  from  the  nose  through  the 
lower  part  of  the  ear. 


THE    THINKING   SYSTEM.  231 

When  this  organ,  which  is  that  of  the  will,  is 
high,  and  more  especially  when  it  is  large,  a  deter- 
mination and  force  seem  to  he  given  by  it  to  the 
character,  which  render  it  the  reverse  of  feminine. 

Having  spoken  here  of  the  ready  exercise  of  the 
will  in  woman,  and  its  adaptation  to  her  wish  to 
please,  it  seems  to  be  here  that  some  circumstances 
dependant  on  these  should  be  noticed. 

With  this  ready  exercise  of  the  will  and  desire 
to  please,  are  evidently  connected  the  light  care- 
lessness, the  graceful  ease,  and  the  gentle  softness, 
which  add  so  much  to  the  power  of  beauty.  Hence, 
artists  give  to  woman  the  bending  form  which  as- 
sociates so  well  with  all  her  characteristics  ;  for  all 
feel  with  Hogarth  that  undulating  lines  are  more  or 
less  formed  in  all  movements  executed  with  the  in- 
tention of  expressing  sentiments  of  courtesy,  re- 
spect, benevolence,  or  love. 

But  it  is  grace  that  we  must  especially  consider 
here  —  grace  which  directly  emanates  from  this 
ready  exercise  of  the  will  and  desire  to  please,  es- 
pecially when  combined  with  observing  faculties  so 
perfect  and  so  perpetually  active  as  those  of  woman. 

"  Gracefulness,"  says  Burke,  "  is  an  idea  not 
very  different  from  beauty  ;  it  consists  in  much  the 
same  thing.  .  .  Gracefulness  is  an  idea  belonging  to 
posture  and  motion.  In  both  these,  to  be  graceful, 
it  is  requisite  that  there  be  no  appearance  of  diffi- 
culty ;  there  is  required  a  small  inflexion  of  the 
body ;  and  a  composure  of  the  parts  in  such  a 
manner,  as  not  to  encumber  each  other,  nor  to  ap- 
pear divided  by  sharp  and  sudden  angles.     In  this 


232  THIRD    SPECIES    OF    BEAUTY. 

ease,  this  roundness,  this  delicacy  of  attitude  and 
motion,  it  is  that  all  the  magic  of  grace  consists, 
and  what  is  called  ^je  ne  scats  quoi.^  " 

It  is  not  in  these  mere  physical  qualities,  that  all 
the  magic  of  grace  consists,  which,  in  the  state  of 
Burke's  knowledge,  he  might  indeed  well  call  "je 
ne  scats  quoi  /"  Let  the  reader  hear  what  is  said 
on  this  subject  by  a  man  who  could  look  a  little 
deeper  than  Burke,  and  who  owed  no  fame  to  the 
little  art  of  substituting  a  flash  of  words  for  depth 
of  thought,  and  serving  by  it  a  venal  purpose  as 
little  as  the  art  itself. 

"  What  grace,"  says  Smith,  "  what  noble  pro- 
priety do  we  not  feel  in  the  conduct  of  those  who 
exert  that  recollection  and  self-command  which 
constitute  the  dignity  of  every  passion,  and  which 
bring  it  down  to  what  others  can  enter  into  !  We 
are  disgusted  with  that  clamorous  grief,  which, 
without  any  delicacy,  calls  upon  our  compassion 
with  sighs  and  tears,  and  importunate  lamentation. 
But  we  reverence  that  reserved,  that  silent  and 
majestic  sorrow,  which  discovers  itself  only  in  the 
swelling  of  the  eyes,  in  the  quivering  of  the  lips 
and  cheeks,  and  in  the  distant,  but  affecting  address 
of  the  Avhole  behavior.  It  imposes  the  like  silence 
upon  us ;  we  regard  it  with  respectful  attention, 
and  watch  over  our  whole  behavior,  lest,  by  any 
impropriety,  we  should  disturb  that  concerted  tran- 
quillity which  it  requires  so  great  an  effort  to  sup- 
port."    This  is  eloquence,  indeed. 

Alison  duly  appreciates  this  earliest  definition  of 
grace.     "It  is,"  he  says,  "this  'recollection  and 


THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  233 

self-command,'  which  in  such  scenes  constitute 
what  even  in  common  language  is  called  the  grace- 
ful in  behavior  or  deportment ;  and  it  is  the  ex- 
pression of  the  same  qualities  in  the  attitude  and 
gesture,  which  constitutes,  in  my  apprehension, 
the  grace  of  such  gestures  or  attitudes.  .  .  Where- 
ever,  in  the  movements  of  the  form,  self-command 
or  self-possession  is  expressed,  some  degree  of 
grace,  at  least,  is  always  produced.  .  .  Whenever 
in  such  motions  grace  is  actually  perceived,  I  think 
it  will  always  be  found  to  be  in  slow,  and,  if  I  may 
use  the  expression,  in  restrained  or  measured  mo- 
tions. 

"  The  motions  of  the  horse,  when  wild  in  the 
pasture,  are  beautiful ;  when  urged  to  his  speed, 
and  straining  for  victory,  they  may  be  felt  as  sub- 
lime ;  but  it  is  chiefly  in  movements  of  a  different 
kind  that  we  feel  them  as  graceful,  when,  in  the 
impatience  of  the  field,  or  in  the  curvetting  of 
the  manege,  he  seems  to  be  conscious  of  all  the 
powers  with  which  he  is  animated,  and  yet  to  re- 
strain them,  from  some  principle  of  beneficence  or 
of  dignity.  Every  movement  of  the  stag  almost  is 
beautiful,  from  the  fineness  of  his  form  and  the 
ease  of  his  gestures ;  yet  it  is  not  in  these  or  in 
the  heat  of  the  chase  that  he  is  graceful :  it  is  when 
he  pauses  upon  some  eminence  in  the  pursuit,  when 
he  erects  his  crested  head,  and  when,  looking  with 
disdain  upon  the  enemy  who  follows,  he  bounds  to 
the  freedom  of  his  hills.  It  is  not,  in  the  same 
manner,  in  the  rapid  speed  of  the  eagle  when  he 
20* 


234^  THIRD    SPECIES    OF    BEATTTr. 

darts  upon  his  prey,  that  we  perceive  the  grace  of 
which  his  motions  are  capable.  It  is  when  he 
soars  slowly  upward  to  the  sun,  or  when  he  wheels 
with  easy  and  continuous  motion  in  airy  circles  in 
the  sky. 

"  In  the  personification  which  we  naturally  give 
to  all  inanimate  objects  which  are  susceptible  of 
movement,  we  may  easily  perceive  the  influence  of 
the  same  association.  We  speak  commonly,  for 
instance,  of  the  graceful  motions  of  trees,  and  of 
the  graceful  movements  of  a  river.  It  is  never, 
however,  when  these  motions  are  violent  or  ex- 
treme, that  we  apply  to  them  the  term  of  grace. 
It  is  the  gentle  waving  of  the  tree  in  slow  and 
measured  cadence  which  is  graceful,  not  the  tos- 
sing of  its  branches  amid  the  storm.  It  is  the  slow 
and  easy  winding  which  is  graceful  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  river,  and  not  the  burst  of  the  cataract, 
or  the  fury  of  the  torrent. 

"  It  is  only  in  the  perfection  of  the  human  sys- 
tem, in  the  age  when  the  form  has  assumed  all  its 
powers,  and  the  mind  is  awake  to  the  conscious- 
ness of  all  the  capacities  it  possesses,  and  the  lofty 
obligations  they  impose,  that  the  reign  of  physical 
grace  commences ;  and  that  the  form  is  capable  of 
expressing,  under  the  dominion  of  every  passion  or 
emotion,  the  high  and  habitual  superiority  which  it 
possesses,  either  to  the  allurements  of  pleasure  or 
the  apprehensions  of  pain.  It  is  this  age,  accord- 
ingly, which  the  artists  of  antiquity  have  uniformly 
represented,  when  they  sought  to  display  the  per- 
fection of  grace,  and  when  they  succeeded  in  leav- 


THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  235 

ing  their  compositions  as  models  of  this  perfection 
to  every  succeeding  age." 

It  is  evidently  the  union  of  all  that  is  good,  in  the 
varieties  now  described  which  renders  beauty,  in 
the  thinking  system,  perfect. 

This  is  well  illustrated  in  the  Minerva  of  the 
Giustiniani  gallery,  which,  in  this  respect,  is 
scarcely  the  less  valuable  because  it  is  draped,  for 
it  is  the  head  that  ever  bears  the  greatest  impress 
of  intellectuality. 

This  union  is  by  no  means  perfect  in  the  English 
female  head,  although,  from  the  considerable  de- 
velopment of  the  forehead  and  the  moderate  one 
of  the  backhead,  the  general  form  of  that  head  is 
beautiful.  As  to  the  French  female  head,  a  French- 
man, writing  under  the  name  of  Count  Stendhal, 
scruples  not  to  say :  "  The  form  of  the  head  in 
Paris  is  ugly ;  the  cranium  approaches  to  that  of 
the  ape  ;  and  this  occasions  the  women  to  have  the 
appearance  of  age  very  early  in  life."  The  women 
of  Paris  differ  not,  in  this  respect,  from  those  of 
France  generally.  Nearly  all  have  the  character 
here  described. 

It  is  under  this  species  that  the  nervous  tempera- 
ment falls,  which  is  constituted  by  great  sensibility 
and  corresponding  mobility,  and  therefore  belongs 
to  the  first  and  the  last  of  those  varieties ;  a  tem- 
perament chiefly  to  be  found  among  women. 

This  temperament  scarcely  exists  in  the  athletic, 
is  weak  in  the  phlegmatic,  is  moderate  in  the  san- 
guine, and  is  rather  active  in  the  bilious. 


236  THIRD   SPECIES  OP  BEATTTT. 

It  is  characterized  by  the  smallness  and  the  emaci- 
ation of  the  muscles,  the  quickness  and  intensity 
of  the  sensations,  and  the  suddenness  and  fickleness 
of  the  determinations. 

It  is  seldom  natural,  but  commonly  depends  on 
a  sedentary  and  inactive  life,  on  a  diseased  con- 
dition of  the  brain  produced  by  reading  works  of 
imagination,  and  on  habits  of  sensual  indulgence. 
In  confirmation  of  this,  we  are  told  that  the  Roman 
ladies  became  subject  to  nervous  afl^ections  only  in 
consequence  of  those  depraved  manners  which 
marked  the  decline  of  the  empire  ;  and  that  these 
aflfections  were  extremely  common  in  France  in  the 
licentious  times  preceding  the  fall  of  the  corrupt 
and  corrupting  monarchy. 

Another  partial  view  falling  under  this  species, 
and  properly  under  the  second  variety,  is  the  cer- 
ebral temperament,  which  results  from  the  energy 
and  influence  of  the  brain. 

This  temperament,  being  thus  determined  by  an 
excess  in  the  power  of  the  brain,  has  been  called 
the  temperament  of  genius.  When  it  is  increased 
by  education  and  habits,  the  other  organs  are  gen- 
erally more  feeble. 

In  woman,  the  cerebral  temperament  is  more 
particularly  characterized  by  a  predominance  of 
imagination,  which  is  evidently  dependant  on  the 
organization  which  has  already  been  described. 

It  has  been  truly  observed,  that  to  contribute  to 
the  perfection  of  reason  as  well  as  to  the  preserva- 
tion of  health,  the  brain  ought  to  be  exercised  and 
developed  in  every  direction  \  that  the  mere  exer- 


THE    THINKING    SYSTEM.  237 

cise  of  memory  carried  too  far  renders  persons 
foolish ;  that  the  predominance  of  imagination  dis- 
poses to  nervous  affections,  and  even  to  alienation  ; 
that  meditation  alters  the  digestive  functions;  and 
that  the  dry  and  minute  contention  which  business 
requires,  disposes,  when  joined  to  a  defect  of  exer- 
cise (and  I  may  add  the  vinous  excesses  in  which 
men  of  business  indulge),  to  apoplexy  and  to 
paralysis. 


238  BEATTTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PAETICFLAK. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PAETICULAE. 

"  It  is  probable,"  says  Dr.  Prichard,  "  that  the 
natural  idea  of  the  beautiful  in  the  human  person 
has  been  more  or  less  distorted  in  almost  every 
nation.  Peculiar  characters  of  countenance,  in 
many  countries,  accidentally  enter  into  the  ideal 
standard.  This  observation  has  been  made  par- 
ticularly of  the  negroes  of  Africa,  who  are  said 
to  consider  a  flat  nose  and  thick  lips  as  principal 
ingredients  of  beauty ;  and  we  are  informed  by 
Pallas  that  the  Kalmucs*  esteem  no  face  as  hand- 
some, which  has  not  the  eyes  in  angular  position, 
and  the  other  characteristics  of  their  race.  The 
Aztecs  of  Mexico  have  ever  preferred  a  depressed 
forehead,!  which  forms  the  strongest  contrast  to 
the  majestic  contour  of  the  Grecian  busts  :  the 
former  represented  their  divinities  with  a  head 
more  flattened  than  it  is  ever  seen  among  the 
Caribs,  and  the  Greeks,  on  the  contrary,  gave  to 


•  Pallas  —  Voyages  en  Siberie. 

t  Humboldt's  Political  Essay  on  the  Kingdom  of  New  Spain. 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICULAK.  239 

their  gods  and  heroes  a  still  more  unnatural  eleva- 
tion." 

Knowing,  as  the  reader  now  does,  what  consti- 
tutes the  worth,  the  dignity,  and  the  beauty,  of  the 
various  organs,  this  statement  tends  to  show  the 
value  of  that  standard  of  beauty  which  we  owe  to 
the  Greeks.  I  proceed  to  illustrate  it  in  regard  to 
the  FACE. 

The  beauty  of  the  human  countenance  is  de« 
scribed  by  various  writers,  as  including  the  beauty 
of  form,  in  the  various  features  of  the  face  ;  the 
beauty  of  color,  in  the  shades  of  the  complexion ; 
the  beauty  of  character,  in  some  distinctive  and 
permanent  relations  j  and  the  beauty  of  expression, 
in  some  immediate  and  temporary  feeling. 

In  regard  to  the  form  of  the  face,  considered  as 
a  whole,  the  opening  of  the  facial  angle  of  Camper, 
in  measuring  geometrically  the  extent  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  head,  marks  the  development  of  the 
brain  or  organ  of  thought,  and  shows  the  propor- 
tion which  it  bears  to  the  middle  and  lower  part 
of  the  face,  or  to  the  organs  of  sense  and  expres- 
sion. 

This  development  of  the  upper  part  of  the  head 
contributes  essentially  to  beauty,  by  giving  to  the 
whole  head  that  pyriform  appearance  already  de- 
scribed, by  which  in  every  view  it  is  larger  at  the 
superior  part,  diminishes  gradually  as  it  descends, 
and  terminates  by  the  agreeable  outline  of  the 
chin. 

In  the  most  beautiful  race  of  men,  the  facial  an- 
gle extends  to  eighty-five  degrees,  acquiring  an  in- 


240  BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PAETICtTLAH. 

crease  of  ten  degrees  above  the  inferior  varieties ; 
the  face  is  diminished  j  the  eyes  are  better  placed ; 
the  nose  assumes  a  more  elegant  form  ;  and  all 
appearance  of  muzzle  vanishes. 

In  the  Greek  ideal  head,  the  development  pre- 
senting a  facial  angle  of  ninety  degrees,  confers 
the  highest  beauty  of  the  form  of  the  head,  the 
majesty  of  the  forehead,  the  position  of  the  eyes 
upon  a  line  which  divides  the  face  into  two  equal 
parts,  the  elegant  projection  of  the  nose,  the  ab- 
sence of  all  tumidity  of  the  lips.  —  But  of  that,  in 
the  sequel. 

In  the  face,  generally,  as  observed  by  Winckel- 
mann,  beauty  of  form  depends  greatly  upon  the 
profile,  and  particularly  on  the  line  described  by 
the  forehead  and  nose,  by  the  greater  or  less  de- 
gree of  the  concavity  or  declivity  of  which,  beauty 
is  increased  or  diminished.  The  nearer  the  profile 
approaches  to  a  straight  line,  the  more  majestic, 
and  at  the  same  time  softer,  does  the  countenance 
appear,  the  unity  and  simplicity  of  this  line  being, 
as  in  everything  else,  the  cause  of  this  grand,  yet 
soft  harmony. 

The  face  being  the  seat  of  several  organs,  each 
must  be  examined  in  its  turn. 

Winckelmann  observes,  that  "a  large  high  fore- 
head [an  excess,  in  this  respect]  was  regarded  by 
the  ancients  as  a  deformity." — And  "Arnobius 
says,  that  those  women  who  had  a  high  forehead, 
covered  a  part  of  it  with  a  fillet."  The  reason  of 
this  will  afterward  be  pointed  out. 

The  sense  of  touch  resides  in  all  parts  of  the 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICULAR.      241 

face,  but  especially  in  the  lips.  It  is  most  perfect, 
however,  at  the  tips  of  the  fingers. 

A  thinner  skin  permits  to  the  touch  of  woman 
more  vivacity,  delicacy,  and  profoundness.  It 
seizes  the  details  which  generally  escape  the  touch 
of  man.  It  is  more  easily  hurt  by  hard,  rough  and. 
angular,  cold  or  hot  bodies. 

Hence,  woman  requires  vestments  which  are 
light  and  smooth  ;  and  she  enjoys  more  than  man 
the  pleasure  of  reposing  on  flocculent  substances 
which  softly  resist  her  pressure. 

In  the  face,  the  lips  are  peculiarly  the  organ  of 
touch. 

Of  all  the  organs  of  sense,  the  mouth  admits,  I 
believe,  of  the  greatest  beauty  and  the  greatest  de- 
formity. Considered  in  repose,  nothing  certainly 
is  more  lovely  than  this  organ  when  beautifully 
formed  in  a  beautiful  woman.  And  in  action,  du- 
ring speech,  the  simplest  words  passing  through  it 
receive  a  charm  altogether  peculiar. 

The  mouth  ought  to  be  small,  and  not  to  extend 
much  beyond  the  nostrils :  a  large  mouth  and 
thick  lips  are  contrary  to  beauty.  The  curve  of 
the  upper  lip  is  said  to  have  served  as  a  model  to 
the  ancient  artists  for  the  bow  of  Love.  The 
lower  lip  should  be  most  developed,  rounded  and 
turned  outward  ;  so  as  to  produce,  between  it  and 
the  chin,  that  beautiful  hollow  which  assists  so 
much  in  giving  the  latter  a  more  perfect  rotundity. 
Both,  but  especially  the  upper,  should  become  thin 
toward  the  angle  of  the  mouth. 

Although  we  see  many  lips  without  erident  and 
21 


242  BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICTTLAR. 

offensive  defects,  there  are  very  few  of  them  really 
beautiful ;  and  indeed  it  is  only  persons  of  great 
delicacy  and  of  refined  taste  who  attach  the  high- 
est value  to  perfect  beauty  of  the  lips. 

Lips  of  beautiful  form  and  of  vermillion  hue, 
teeth  which  are  small,  equal,  slightly  rounded, 
white,  clean,  and  well  arranged,  and  a  pure  breath, 
are  the  circumstances  which  constitute  a  beautiful 
mouth. 

The  sense  of  taste  is  more  delicate  and  more 
exquisite  in  woman  than  in  man.  She  accordingly 
seeks  for  savors  which  are  less  rough  and  irritating 
than  those  which  are  agreeable  to  him. 

The  NOSE  is  the  most  prominent  and  conspicu- 
ous feature  of  the  face ;  it  is  the  central  fixed  point 
around  which  are  arranged  all  its  other  parts ;  and 
it  is  thus  essential  to  the  regularity  of  the  features. 
When  these,  moreover,  are  in  action,  the  nose,  by 
its  immobility,  marks  the  degree  of  change  which 
they  undergo,  and  renders  intelligible  all  the 
movements  produced  by  admiration,  joy,  sadness, 
fear,  &c. 

To  perfect  beauty  of  the  nose,  it  is  necessary 
that  it  should  be  nearly  in  the  same  direction  with 
the  forehead,  and  should  unite  with  that  part, 
without  leaving  more  than  a  slight  inflexion  to  be 
seen.  This  constitutes  the  Greek  profile  ;  and  the 
various  degrees  of  deviation  from  it  constitute, 
as  to  this  organ,  the  various  degenerations  from 
beauty  the  most  consummate  to  ugliness  the  most 
disgusting. 

Nature    says  Winckelmann,  is  sparing  of  this 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICITLAR.  243 

beauty  both  in  burning  climates  and  in  frozen  re* 
gions.* 

The  same  writer  says :  "  The  flat  compressed 
nose  of  the  Kalmucs,  Chinese,  and  other  distant 
nations,  is  also  a  defect,  because  it  destroys  the 
harmony  of  forms,  according  to  which  all  the  other 
parts  are  constructed :  nor  is  there  any  reason, 
why  nature  should  compress  and  hollow  it,  instead 
of  continuing  the  straight  line  begun  in  the  fore- 
head." The  fact  is  true  ;  the  reasoning  false,  as 
will  be  seen  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  to  which  this 
point  properly  belongs. 

Under  the  influence  of  passion,  the  nostrils  ex- 
pand and  are  drawn  upward ;  and  these  two  motions 
are  the  only  ones  of  which  the  lower  and  moveable 
part  of  the  nose  is  capable. 

The  sense  of  smell,  like  that  of  taste,  is  more 
delicate  and  more  exquisite  in  woman  than  in  man. 
Woman  accordingly  enjoys  more,  and  suffers  more, 
by  that  sense  than  man  does ;  and  its  influence  is 
said  to  dispose  her  more  than  man  to  those  pleas- 
ures which  have  remarkable  relations  to  that  sense. 

To  beauty  of  the  eye,  magnitude  and  elongated 
form  contribute  more  perhaps  than  color :  if  its 
form  be  bad,  no  color  will  render  it  beautiful.  In. 
woman,  however,  the  most  beautiful  eyes,  in  rela- 
tion to  color,  are  those  which  appear  to  be  blue, 


•  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  infants,  the  nose  is  almost  always 
flat,  and  that,  in  some  members  of  the  same  family,  it  always  re- 
mains so,  while,  in  others,  it  rises.  This  is  attended  by  difference 
of  function. 


24(4  BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICULAR. 

hazel,  or  black.  But  no  color  of  the  eye  is  beau- 
tiful without  clearness  in  every  part. 

"  The  more  obliquely,  and  at  an  angle  to  each 
other,"  says  Winckelmann,  "  that  the  eyes  are 
placed,  as  in  cats,  the  more  their  position  is  re- 
moved from  the  base,  or  from  the  fundamental 
lines  of  the  human  face,  which  form  a  cross  that 
divides  it  into  four  parts,  the  nose  dividing  it  per- 
pendicularly into  two  equal  parts,  and  the  eyes 
dividing  it  horizontally.  When  the  eyes  are  placed 
obliquely,  they  form  an  angle  with  a  line  parallel 
to  that  which  Ave  suppose  to  pass  through  their 
centre.  And  this  indeed  is  doubtless  the  reason 
why  it  displeases  us  to  see  a  mouth  which  goes 
awry,  because  it  generally  offends  the  eye  to  see 
two  lines  diverging  from  each  other  without  any 
reason.  Thus  eyes  placed  obliquely,  as  may  be 
seen  sometimes  among  ourselves,  and  commonly 
among  the  Chinese,  Japanese,  and  in  Egyptian 
heads,  are  an  irregularity  and  a  deformity." 

Here,  again,  Winckelmann's  fact  is  true,  and  his 
reasoning  false,  or  rather,  perhaps,  superficial.  The 
real  cause  of  the  deformity  of  obliquely-placed  eyes 
is,  that  the  vital  parts  of  the  head  preponderate. 
The  cavities  of  the  upper  jaw,  which  open  into  the 
internal  nose,  are,  in  the  Mongelic  races,  so  large, 
that  they  raise  the  cheek-bones,  throw  the  orbit 
upward  at  its  lateral  part,  and  encroach  apparently 
upon  the  space  which  should  contain  a  nobler  or- 
gan, the  brain.  The  causes  assigned  by  Winckel- 
mann are  but  consequences  of  this. 

The  eyelids  in  woman,  when  well  formed,  pre- 


^J 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICULAR.  245 

sent  the  gentlest  inflexions.  The  eyelashes,  when 
long  and  silky,  form  a  sign  of  gentleness,  and  some- 
times of  softness.  The  eyebrows  ought  to  be  fur- 
nished with  fine  hairs,  arched,  and  separated  :  if 
they  are  too  thin,  they  do  not  sufficiently  protect 
the  organ  of  sight :  if  they  unite,  they  render  the 
physiognomy  sombre  j  their  too-marked  approxi- 
mation, and  their  extreme  separation,  are  real  de- 
formities. 

The  sense  of  sight  in  woman  is  rapid  and  active ; 
yet,  in  her,  the  slow  and  languid  motion  of  the  eye 
is  generally  employed,  and  is  more  beautiful  than 
a  brisk  one.  Woman  requires  a  mild  light,  and 
colors  of  moderate  vividness,  rather  than  other- 
wise. 

The  beauty  of  the  ear  is  too  little  regarded.  To 
an  experienced  eye  it  presents  great  beauties,  and 
great  deformities,  in  form,  magnitude,  and  projec- 
tion. 

The  size  and  prominence  of  the  ear,  which  char- 
acterize several  nomadic  tribes,  are  contrary  to 
beauty,  not  merely  because  they  alter  the  regulari- 
ty of  the  oval  of  the  head,  and  surcharge  its  out- 
line with  prominences,  but  because  they  are  in 
themselves  ugly,  indicating  rather  the  coarse 
strength  common  to  inferior  animals  than  the 
delicacy  to  be  found  in  man. 

In  woman,  the  ear  is  also  more  delicate,  more 

sensible,  but  more  feeble,  than   in   man.     Strong 

sounds,  loud  noises,  which  may  be  agreeable  to  the 

ear  of  man,  are  oflfensive  to  her.     She  prefers  soft 

21* 


346  BEAITTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICTTLAK. 

and  tender,  gay,  or  pathetic  music,  to  every  other  ; 
and  whatever  may  be  the  perfection  of  her  musical 
education,  she  also  prefers  sweet  and  tender  melo- 
dy to  the  most  complicated  Sclavonic  harmony. 

Such  are  the  organs  of  sense  or  those  of  impres- 
sion, which  form  the  first  and  most  important 
portion  of  the  face  of  woman.  —  The  organs  of 
expression,  the  mtjscles  of  the  face,  on  the  con- 
trary, are  feeble  in  her;  and  correspondingly 
feeble  and  rounded  are  the  bony  points  to  which 
they  are  attached. 

Woman  presents  very  little  prominence  of  the 
frontal  sinuses ;  the  cheek-bones  display  beautiful 
curves;  the  edges  of  the  alveoli  containing  the 
teeth  are  much  more  elliptical  than  in  man  ;  and 
the  chin  is  softly  rounded.  Of  the  chin,  it  should 
be  observed  that  it  is  a  distinctive  character  of  the 
human  species,  and  is  not  found  in  any  other  ani- 
mal. When  well  formed,  it  is  full,  united,  and  gen- 
erally without  a  dimple  ;  and  it  passes  gently  and 
almost  insensibly  into  the  neighboring  parts.  In 
w^oman  especially,  the  chin  ought  to  be  finely 
rounded  ;  for  when  projecting,  it  expresses,  owing 
to  its  connexion  with  muscular  action  and  power,  a 
firmness  and  a  determination  which  we  do  not  wish 
to  discover  in  her  character.  "  The  apparent  con- 
vexity of  the  cheeks,"  says  Winckelmann,  "  which 
in  many  heads  appears  greater  than  natural,  con- 
tributes to  this  rotundity  :  it  is  not,  however,  ideal, 
but  taken  from  natural  beauty." 

The  muscles  of  the  face  express  all  the  shades  of 
emotion  and  passion,  not  because  such  expression 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PAETICTJLAR.  247 

is  the  primary,  or  the  proper  object  of  their  motion, 
but  because  their  various  motions  adapt  the  organs 
to  the  farther  purposes  required  of  them  in  conse- 
quence of  preceding  impressions ;  and  these  mo- 
tions become  expressive  to  us  only  because  we  are 
thus  enabled  to  infer  the  feeling  and  purpose  of  the 
person  in  whom  they  occur.  This  is  a  fundament- 
al principle  of  physiognomy ;  and  its  not  being 
understood  has  led  to  many  of  our  errors  in  that 
science. 

In  woman,  the  countenance  is  more  rounded,  as 
well  as  more  abundantly  furnished  with  that  cellular 
and,  fatty  tissue  which  fills  all  the  chasms,  effaces, 
all  the  angles,  and  unites  all  the  parts  by  the  gen- 
tlest transitions.  At  the  same  time,  the  muscles  are 
feebler,  more  mobile,  resigned  for  a  shorter  time  to 
the  same  contraction,  and  as  inconstant  as  the 
emotions  and  passions  which  their  rapid  play  ex- 
presses. 

The  result  of  all  this  is,  that  the  muscles  do  not 
profoundly  modify  the  face,  which  consequently 
has  not  so  much  of  permanent  character  as  that  of 
a  man,  and  which  permits  us  more  difficultly  to  dis- 
cover, through  the  rounded,  short,  and  shifting 
parts,  the  nature  of  her  various  feelings.  As,  how- 
ever, the  abundance  of  the  cellular  tissue  diminish- 
es with  age,  and  as  the  sentiments  become  at  the 
same  time  less  ephemeral,  the  physiognomical 
character  and  expression  of  woman  become  more 
decided. 

As  to  COLOR  of  the  face,  it  may  be  observed  that 
the  forehead,  the  temples,  the  eyelids,  the  nose, 


248     BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PAETICULAK. 

the  upper  part  of  the  superior  lip,  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  inferior  lip,  ought  in  woman  to  be  of  a 
beautiful  and  rather  opaque  white.  The  approach 
to  the  cheeks  and  the  middle  of  the  chin  ought  to 
have  a  slight  teint  of  rose-color,  and  the  middle  of 
the  cheeks  ought  to  be  altogether  rosy,  but  of  a 
delicate  hue.  —  Cheeks  of  an  animated  white  are 
preferable  to  those  of  a  red  color,  although  less 
beautiful  than  those  of  rosy  hue. 

With  regard  to  the  hair,  it  may  be  observed, 
that  sometimes,  rising  from  its  bulbs,  it  turns  in 
irregular  rings,  and,  by  displaying  a  forehead  rather 
large,  confers  a  certain  sanguine,  as  well  as  open 
air  upon  the  physiognomy.  This,  however,  is  most 
frequently  seen  in  men,  and  chiefly  in  men  of  ex- 
uberant vitality,  rather  than  intellectuality :  it  in- 
deed depends  entirely  on  the  former. 

In  other  men,  and  almost  always  in  women,  the 
hair  generally  divides  in  a  line  extending  from  the 
crown  to  the  forehead,  and  falls  over  the  temples. 
The  line  thus  formed,  uniting  with  the  median  line, 
of  the  face  in  general,  and  that  of  the  nose  in  par- 
ticular, gives  to  the  whole  of  the  features  a  pecu 
liar  symmetry  and  beauty. 

I  have  said,  already,  that  symmetry  is  a  charac- 
teristic of  thinking  beings,  and  I  have  explained  the 
reason  of  this.  The  present  case  admirably  illus- 
trates it.  This  symmetrical  arrangement  of  the 
hair  bestows  an  intellectual  air ;  and  it  well  may, 
for,  when  natural,  it  derives  its  tendency  to  fall  on 
each  side,  from  the  top  of  the  head,  either  from  the 
general  elevation  of  the  calvarium,  or  from  the  par- 


BEAUTY  OF  THE  FACE  IN  PARTICULAR.     249 

ticular  elevation  of  the  forehead,  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  beauty  in  woman. 

It  accordingly  announces  in  the  individual  higher 
observing  faculties :  hence,  the  ancient  sculptors 
never  omitted  this  in  their  highest  personages : 
hence,  we  find  it  in  the  heads  of  Raffaelle  and 
Guido. 

"A  fair  hue,  ^avOds,^^  says  Winckelmann,  "has 
ever  been  regarded  as  the  most  beautiful ;  and 
flaxen-colored  hair  was  assigned  to  the  most  beau- 
tiful, not  only  among  the  gods,  as  Apollo  [xpwo-oKd/^ai/ 
'AirtfAXui/a,  golden-haired  Apollo]  and  Bacchus,  but 
also  among  the  heroes :  Alexander  the  Great  had 
flaxen  hair."  The  modern  Italians  call  Cupid  "  II 
biondo  Dio." 

Having  concluded  what  I  have  here  to  say  of  the 
parts  of  the  face,  I  may  observe,  that  the  different 
effects  of  the  same  face,  even  in  a  state  of  repose, 
have  often  been  observed,  never  explained.  I  have, 
however,  in  another  work,  shown  that  the  face  is 
composed  of  motive,  nutritive,  and  thinking  parts 
or  organs.  Now,  circumstances  bring  these  vari- 
ously into  action  ;  and  the  difierent  eflects  alluded 
to,  in  reality  depend  on  the  motive,  or  the  nutritive, 
or  the  intellectual  expression  being  at  the  time,  re- 
spectively, most  apparent,  or  most  attended  to  by 
us.  The  study  of  this  subject,  which  I  have  not 
space  here  to  develop,  is  of  infinite  importance  to 
the  man  of  taste,  the  physiognomist,  and  the  artist. 
The  latter  cannot  easily  excel  without  understand- 
ing it. 

Another  curious  fact,  not  hitherto  observed,  is, 


250  BEATTTY   OF    THE    FACE    IN   PAETICtTLAR. 

that  though  beauty  of  face  is,  owing  to  the  power 
of  the  vital  system,  ahnost  universal  at  a  certain 
age,  there  is  always  a  faulty  feature,  which  the 
physiognomist  may  observe,  and  which  ever  con- 
tinues to  exaggerate,  until  it  terminate  in  relative 
ugliness.  Thus  we  scarcely  observe  the  long  up- 
per lip  during  youth,  in  some  women  j  and  yet  it 
afterward  gives  to  them  the  sober  grimace  of  ba- 
boons. We  admire  in  youth  the  spirit  of  the  pier- 
cing eye,  and  aquiline  nose  in  others,  to  whom  these 
afterward  give  the  look  of  so  many  old  hawks.  In 
others,  still,  we  are  charmed  with  the  round,  rosy, 
and  innocent  cheeks,  which,  when  they  become 
paler  and  more  pendent,  confer  on  them  the  aspect 
either  of  seals  or  of  mastiffs,  according  to  other 
circumstances  of  temper  and  disposition.  I  could 
easily  trace  these,  and  many  more,  from  youth  to 
middle  age,  and  illustrate  them  convincingly,  by 
drawings :  but  I  have  no  room  for  it  here. 

Each,  indeed,  of  the  subjects  of  the  two  imme- 
diately preceding  paragraphs,  is  worthy  of  a  vol- 
ume ;  for  the  first  is  as  essential  to  all  judgment  of 
existing  beauty  at  the  instant  of  its  being  before 
us,  as  the  second  is  to  all  prescience  of  what  beauty 
will  very  soon  be  —  to  all  who  have  no  love  for  a 
leap  in  the  dark. 

I  add  to  this  chapter  but  a  few  words  on  the  very 
different  organization  of  the  head  and  face,  and  the 
very  different  mind,  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans. 

Whoever,  for  the  purpose  of  comparing  the  heads 
of  these  two  nations,  may  walk  into  the  British 


BEAUTY    OF    THE    FACE    IN   PARTICITLAR.  251 

Museum,  will  be  struck  with  the  difference  between 
them. 

The  forehead  is  almost  always  rather  narrow,  and 
rather  high,  in  the  most  illustrious  Greeks ;  and 
this  could  not  so  uniformly  have  been  so  represented 
in  sculpture,  unless  it  had  been  so  also  in  fact. 
This  is  verified,  in  the  third  room  of  the  Townley 
collection,  by  the  heads  of  Homer,  Hippocrates, 
Epicurus,  Pericles,  &c. — by  the  almost  universal 
conformation  of  Greek  heads,  to  which  there  are 
but  few  exceptions :  Sophocles,  in  this  room,  and 
Demosthenes,  in  the  eleventh,  are  rather  broader. 

On  the  contrary,  the  forehead,  the  face,  the  jaws, 
are  excessively  broad,  and  the  cranium  is  depressed 
and  low,  in  the  Romans — in  Severus,  Nero,  Cara- 
calla,  &c.,  in  the  sixth  room,  and  in  Tiberius  and 
Augustus,  in  the  eleventh  ;  nor  is  this  owing  to  the 
circumstance  that  these  generally  were  men  de- 
graded in  feeling  or  intellect,  for  nearly  the  same 
configuration  is  found  in  Trajan,  Hadrian,  &c.,  in 
the  fourth,  sixth,  and  other  rooms.  The  faces  of 
the  Romans  are  not  less  ugly  than  their  heads  ;  and 
those  of  their  women  are  absolutely  detestable,  as 
may  be  seen  in  Faustina,  Plautilla,  Sabina,  Domitia, 
&c.,  in  the  sixth  of  these  rooms. 

If  farther  illustration  of  this  be  wanting,  it  may 
be  found  in  the  circumstance  that,  while  the  Greeks 
preferred  the  rather  high  forehead,  and  invented 
the  ideal  one,  the  Romans,  on  the  contrary,  pre- 
ferred a  little  forehead  and  united  eyebrows.  Ovid 
assures  us  that  the  women  of  his  time  painted  their 


252  BEAUTY   OF   THE    FACE    IN   PARTICULAR. 

eyebrows  in  such  a  manner,  that  they  might  appear 
to  form  only  one. 

In  the  work  so  often  referred  to,  I  have  sho\vn 
that  the  intensity  of  functions  is  as  the  length  of 
their  organs,  and  the  permanence  of  /unctions  as 
the  breadth  of  their  organs.  No  truth  can  be  bet- 
ter illustrated  than  this  is,  in  the  organization  and 
the  faculties  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  With  the 
higher  and  larger  head  of  the  Greeks  was  urated 
an  intensity  of  genius,  which  no  other  people  has 
yet  rivalled  ;  and  with  the  broader  head  of  the  Ro- 
mans, a  perseverance,  equally  obstinate  and  unfeel- 
ing, which  has  been  similarly  unrivalled. 

A  good  illustration  of  the  vaunted  Roman  virtue 
is  recorded  in  Porcia,  the  daughter  of  Cato,  the 
l^rife  of  Brutus,  who  plunged  a  toilet-knife  into  her 
thigh,  and  kept  it  eight  days  in  the  wound,  without 
complaining,  to  prove  to  her  husband  that  her 
courage  and  her  discretion  rendered  her  worthy  of 
entering  into  the  conspiracy,  which  he  meditated  ; 
and  who  also  destroyed  herself  by  swallowing 
burning  coals,  when  she  heard  of  his  defeat.  Ob- 
stinacy and  insensibility  were  great  sources  of  the 
crimes  either  perpetrated,  or,  by  their  lying  histo- 
rians, pretended  to  be  perpetrated,  under  the  name 
of  Roman  virtue. 

It  would  be  out  of  place,  here,  to  enter  farther 
into  the  character  and  expression  of  the  face. 
Those  whom  these  remarks  dispose  to  do  so,  may 
refer  to  the  physiognomical  work,  which  I  have 


BEAUTY   OF   THE   FACE   IN   PAETICTTLAR.  253 

been  so  often  compelled  to  allude  to.*  To  those 
who  are  satisfied,  neither  with  the  vague,  though 
tasteful  inspirations  of  Lavater,  nor  with  the  em- 
pyrical  or  unreasoned  manifestations  of  Gall  and 
Spurzheim,  but  who  desire  the  assignment  of  a  reason 
for  every  description  of  physiognomical  character  or 
expression^  that  work  may  afford  some  satisfaction. 
That  the  Greeks,  either  intuitively  or  reasonedly, 
distinguished  the  three  species  of  beauty  as  to  the 
figure,  has  been  already  seen.  The  heads  of  Diana, 
Venus,  and  Minerva,  respectively  present  beauty  of 
the  locomotive,  vital,  and  mental  systems. 


♦  "  Physiognomy  founded  on  Physiology,  and  applied  to  various 
Countries,  Professions,  and  Individuals :  with  an  Appendix  on  the 
Bones  at  Hythe  —  the  Sculls  of  the  ancient  Inhabitants  of  Britain, 
and  its  Invaders:  illustrated  by  Engravings."  —  Smith,  Elder,  & 
Co.,  Cornhill. 

22 


254        COMBINATIONS   AND    TRANSITIONS    OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XVL 

COMBINATIONS  AND   TRANSITIONS  OF  THE   THREE   SPECIES 
OF   FEMALE    BEAUTS'. 

As  to  the  COMBINATIONS  of  beauty,  it  must  now  be 
observed,  that  some  one  of  these  species  of  beauty 
always  characterize  the  same  individual  during 
every  stage  of  life  j  and,  to  the  experienced  ob- 
server, it  never  is  difficult  to  say  which  of  them 
predominates.  Attention  to  the  preceding  prin- 
ciples will  render  this  easy. 

It  is  right  to  mention  here  the  cause  of  this 
general  predominance  of  one  species  of  beauty 
over  the  rest.  It  depends  on  this,  that  the  slight- 
est original  or  accidental  preponderance  of  strength 
in  one  system  above  that  of  the  rest,  though  unob- 
served at  first,  leads  to  a  more  frequent  employ- 
ment of  its  functions,  and  therefore  to  a  more 
perfect  development  of  its  organs,  until  at  last  the 
disproportion  between  these  and  those  of  the  other 
systems,  becomes  characteristic  of  the  individual. 

In  a  truly  beautiful  woman,  none  of  the  systems 
described  can  exist  in  a  great  degree  of  degrada- 
tion J  but  of  the  three,  the  nutritive  or  vital  system 
is  to  woman  the  most  essential.  In  England,  from 
thirty  to  forty  is  generally  the  age  of  its  highest 
perfection. 


THREE    SPECIES    OF    FEMALE    BEAtTTY.  255 

It  often,  however,  occurs,  that  two,  or  even  the 
whole  of  these  species  of  beauty,  are  blended  in 
considerable  perfection.  In  those  females  in  which 
it  is  found,  the  locomotive  system  is  well  developed, 
in  the  length  and  elegance  of  the  limbs ;  the  vital 
or  nutritive  system  everywhere  presents  soft  forms, 
and  rounds  both  body  and  limbs ;  and  the  mental 
or  thinking  system  displays  a  capability  of  grace 
in  action,  notwithstanding  the  constrained  attitude 
assumed  to  conceal  the  face. 

Although  there  can  indeed  be  no  great  degree 
of  beauty  in  which  this  combination  is  not  more 
or  less  the  case,  yet  a  union  of  all  the  three  species 
of  beautj'^,  in  the  greatest  compatible  degree,  is  to 
be  found  only  in  some  of  those  immortal  images 
of  ideal  beauty,  which  were  created  by  the  genius 
and  the  chisel  of  the  Greeks. 

Having  briefly  spoken  of  these  combinations,  I 
may  notice  also  those  combinations  which  similarly 
occur  among  the  temperaments,  which,  as  already- 
said,  -constitute  partial  views  of  the  varieties  I  have 
been  describing. 

In  relation  to  a  combination  of  the  phlegmatic 
and  nervous  temperament,  I  may  refer  to  Richerand, 
who  says,  that,  "among  the  moderns,  the  easy 
Michael  Montaigne,  all  of  whose  passions  were  so 
moderate,  who  reasoned  on  everything,  even  oa 
feeling,  was  truly  pituitous.  But  in  him  the  pr&- 
dominance  of  the  lymphatic  system  Avas  not  carried 
so  far,  but  that  he  joined  to  it  a  good  deal  of  ner- 
vous susceptibility." 

Of  women,  more  especially,  it  is  observed,  that 


256        COMBINATIONS    AND    TRANSITIONS    OF    THE 

they  rarely  present  examples  of  the  lymphatic  tem- 
perament, unmodified  by  nervous  mobility ;  whence 
come  extreme  vivacity  in  the  sensations  with  great 
feebleness,  determinations  equally  precipitate  and 
unsteady,  excited  imagination  and  ephemeral  tastes, 
absolute  will,  &c. 

The  sanguine  temperament  is  similarly  combined 
with  the  nervoua  one.  Hence,  the  physiologist 
above  quoted  says,  that  "  to  the  extreme  love  of 
pleasure,  sanguine  men  join,  when  circumstances 
require  it  [he  should  have  said,  in  some  cases], 
great  elevation  of  thought  and  character,  and  can 
bring  into  action  the  highest  talents  in  every  de- 
partment :  the  history  of  Henry  IV.,  of  Mirabeau, 
and  others,  proves  that." 

The  ancients  gave  the  name  of  bilious,  to  a  tem- 
perament in  which  the  sanguineous  system  is  ener- 
getic, the  pulse  strong,  hard,  and  frequent,  the  sub- 
cutaneous veins  prominent,  the  development  of  the 
liver  excessive,  the  superabundance  of  bile  remark- 
able, the  sensibility  easily  excited,  yet  capable  of 
dwelling  upon  one  object,  the  passions  violent,  the 
movements  abrupt  and  impetuous,  and  the  charac- 
ter inflexible.  This  is  evidently  a  very  compound 
temperament,  and  should  never  have  been  classed, 
any  more  than  the  two  preceding,  with  the  simple 
temperaments,  the  athlectic  or  muscular,  the  phleg- 
matic or  lymphatic,  the  sanguine,  and  the  nervous, 
which  I  have  noticed  under  the  heads  to  which 
they  belong. 

In  persons  of  this  temperament,  the  skin  is  of  a 
yellowish    brown    the    hair    black,   the    muscles 


THEEE    SPECIES   OF    FEMALE    BEAUTY.  257 

marked,  the  form  harshly  expressed.  "  Bold  in 
the  conception  of  a  project,"  say s Richerand,  "con- 
stant and  indefatigable  in  its  execution,  it  is  among 
men  of  this  temperament,  that  we  find  those  who, 
in  different  ages,  have  governed  the  destinies  of 
the  world  :  full  of  courage,  boldness,  and  activity, 
they  have  signalized  themselves  by  great  virtues 
or  great  crimes,  and  have  been  the  terror  or  admi- 
ration of  the  universe.  Such  were  Alexander, 
Julius  Cesar,  Brutus,  Mahomet,  Charles  XII.,  the 
Czar  Peter,  Cromwell,  Sixtus  V.,  Cardinal  Richelieu 
[and,  he  should  have  added,  Bonaparte]  ...  To 
attain  to  results  of  such  importance,  the  profoundest 
dissimulation  and  the  most  obstinate  constancy  are 
equally  necessary  ;  and  these  are  the  most  eminent 
qualities  of  the  bilious." 

A  still  more  compound  temperament  is  the  mel- 
ancholic, in  which  disease  is  added  to  the  bilious 
temperament,  a  derangement  of  the  functions  of 
the  nervous  system,  and  the  diseased  obstruction 
of  some  one  of  the  organs  of  the  abdomen,  so  that 
the  nutritive  functions  are  feebly  or  irregularly 
performed,  the  bowels  sluggish,  the  pulse  hard  and 
contracted,  the  excretions  difficult,  the  imagination 
gloomy,  the  disposition  suspicious. 

In  persons  of  this  temperament,  the  skin  is  of  a 
Btill  deeper  hue,  and  the  look  uneasy  and  gloomy. 
Rousseau  and  Tiberius  are  excellent  examples  of 
this  temperament,  as  associated  with  genius  and 
virtue  in  one,  and  with  truly  royal  vice  in  the 
other.  In  women,  this  temperament  is  rarely  so 
intense  as  in  men. 

i?2* 


258  THIRD   SPECIES   OF   FEMALE   BEAUTY. 

Of  the  TRANSITIONS  of  beauty,  I  have  now  to  ob- 
serve, that,  though  one  species  of  beauty  always 
characterizes  the  same  individual  during  every 
stage  of  life,  yet  it  is  remarkable,  that  the  young 
woman  (whatever  species  of  beauty  predominates) 
has  always  a  tendency  to  beauty  of  the  locomotive 
system  ;  —  that  the  middle-aged  woman  has  always 
a  tendency  to  beauty  of  the  nutritive  system;  — 
and  that  the  woman  of  advanced  age  has  always  a 
tendency  to  beauty  of  the  thinking  system. 

Some  women  would  seem,  in  the  progress  of 
life,  to  pass  through  all  these  systems  (and  the 
more  perfect  the  whole  organization,  the  more 
will  this  seem  to  be  the  case) ;  but  the  accurate 
observer  will  always  see  the  predominance  of  the 
same  system. 


PROPORTIOX,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.       259 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PROPORTION,    CHARACTER,    EXPRESSION,    ETC. 

WiNCKELMANN  says :  "  I  cannot  imagine  beauty 
without  the  proportion  which  is  always  its  founda- 
tion. —  The  drawing  of  the  naked  figure  is  founded 
upon  the  idea  and  the  knowledge  of  beauty;  and 
this  idea  consists  partly  in  measures  and  relations, 
and  partly  in  forms,  the  beauty  of  which  was,  as 
Cicero  observes,  the  object  of  the  first  Grecian 
artists  :  the  latter  determine  the  figure ;  the  former 
fix  the  proportions." 

The  great  variety  of  proportions  presented  by 
the  human  body  causes  much  difficulty  in  deter- 
mining with  precision  what  are  the  best.  The 
difficulty  becomes  quite  insurmountable  if  we  at- 
tempt to  assign  precise  dimensions  to  the  details  of 
configuration  or  to  minute  parts. 

Many  circumstances  are  opposed  to  the  exact- 
ness of  these  measures.  Even  in  the  same  person, 
one  part  is  rarely  in  all  respects  similar  to  the  cor- 
responding part ;  we  are  taller  in  the  morning  than 
in  the  evening ;  and  the  proportions  change  at  dif- 
ferent periods  of  life.  In  different  individuals,  the 
differences  are  still  more  evident.  Moreover,  hab- 
its, professions,  trades,  all  unite  to  oppose  regular- 
ity in  the  proportions. 


260       PROPOETION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

It  has  farther  been  observed  that,  in  the  con- 
formation of  woman,  both  as  regards  the  whole 
and  as  regards  the  various  parts,  nature  still  more 
rarely  approaches  determinate  proportions  than  in 
man. 

It  is  remarked  by  Hogarth,  whose  views  I  now 
abridge,  that  in  society  we  every  day  hear  women 
pronounce  perfectly  correct  opinions  as  to  the 
proportions  of  the  neck,  the  bosom,  the  hands,  and 
the  arms  of  other  women,  whom  they  have  an  in- 
terest in  observing  with  severity.  It  is  evident 
that,  for  such  an  examination,  they  ought  to  be 
capable  of  seizing,  with  great  precision,  the  rela- 
tion of  length  and  thickness,  and  of  following  the 
slight  sinuosities,  the  swellings,  the  depressions, 
almost  insensible  and  continually  varying,  at  the 
surface  of  the  parts  observed.  If  so,  it  is  certainly 
in  the  power  of  a  man  of  science,  with  as  observing 
an  eye,  to  go  still  farther,  and  conceive  many  other 
necessary  circumstances  concerning  proportion. 

But  he  says :  "  Though  much  of  this  matter 
may  be  easily  understood  by  common  observation, 
assisted  by  science,  still  I  fear  it  will  be  difficult  to 
raise  a  very  clear  idea  of  what  constitutes  or  com- 
poses the  utmost  beauty  of  proportion.  .  .  We 
shall  soon  find  that  it  is  chiefly  to  be  effected  by 
means  of  the  nice  sensation  we  naturally  have  of 
what  certain  quantities  or  dimensions  of  parts  are 
fittest  to  produce  the  utmost  strength  for  moving 
or  supporting  great  weights,  and  of  what  are  most 
fit  for  the  utmost  light  agility,  as  also  for  every 
degree,  between  these  two  extremes," 


PKOPOETION,  CHAEACTEK,  EXPEESSION,  ETC.       261 

After  some  illustrations  of  this,  which  naturally 
leave  the  method  very  A'ague,  he  adds:  "  I  am  ap- 
prehensive that  this  part  of  my  scheme,  for  explain- 
ing exact  proportion,  may  not  he  thought  so  suffi- 
ciently determinate  as  could  be  wished."  So  that 
Hogarth's  method  as  to  proportions,  both  general 
and  particular,  reduces  itself  to  the  employment  of 
the  eye  and  the  nice  sensation  we  have  of  quanti- 
ties or  dimensions. 

But  the  Greek  artists  had  not  only  done  what 
Hogarth  thus  vaguely  speaks  of,  but  advanced  much 
farther  ;  and  indeed  all  that  has  been  done  on  this 
important  subject  belongs  rather  to  the  history  of 
art  than  that  of  nature. 

"  It  is  not,"  says  Buffon,  "  by  the  comparison  of 
the  body  of  one  man  with  that  of  another  man,  or 
by  measures  actually  taken  in  a  great  number  of 
subjects,  that  we  can  acquire  this  knowledge  [that 
of  proportion]  :  it  is  by  the  efforts  Avhich  have  been 
made  exactly  to  copy  and  imitate  nature  ;  it  is  to 
the  art  of  design  that  we  owe  all  that  we  know  in 
this  respect.  Feeling  and  taste  have  done  all  that 
*  mechanics  could  not  do;  the  rule  and  the  compass 
have  been  quitted  in  order  to  profit  by  the  eye  ;  all 
the  forms,  all  the  outlines,  and  all  the  parts  of  the 
human  body,  have  been  realized  in  marble ;  and 
we  have  known  nature  better  by  the  representation 
than  by  nature  itself.  It  is  by  great  exercise  of 
the  art  of  design  and  by  an  exquisite  sentiment, 
that  great  statuaries  have  succeeded  in  making  us 
feel  the  just  proportions  of  the  works  of  nature. 
The  Greeks  have  foimed  such  admirable  statues, 


262      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC, 

that  with  one  consent  they  are  regarded  as  the 
most  exact  representation  of  the  most  perfect  hu- 
man body.  These  statues,  which  were  only  copies 
from  man,  are  become  originals,  because  these 
copies  were  not  made  from  any  individual,  but 
from  the  whole  human  species  well  observed,  so 
well  indeed,  that  no  man  has  been  found  whose 
figure  is  so  well  proportioned  as  these  statues  :  it 
is  then  from  these  models  that  the  measures  of  the 
human  body  have  been  taken." 

It  is  now  necessary  to  lay  before  the  reader  the 
principles  of  the  Greeks,  as  to  the  proportions  of 
the  human  body.  Much  has  been  well  done  on 
this  subject  by  Winckelmann,  Bossi,  and  others ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  from  want  of  enlarged  ana- 
tomical and  phj^siological  views,  they  have  over- 
looked some  fundamental  considerations,  and  have 
failed  to  unravel  the  greatest  difficulties  which  the 
subject  presents.  That  the  reader  maybe  satisfied 
of  the  accuracy  of  my  representations,  I  shall  lay 
the  statements  of  these  writers  before  him  in  their 
own  words,  rendering  them  only  as  succinct  as 
possible.* 

Of  the  first  epoch  of  art  among  the  Etruscans 
and  Greeks,  Mengs  says  :  "  They  preferred  the 
most  necessary  things  to  those  which  were  less 
so;  and  therefore  they  directed  their  attention  first 
to  the  muscles,  and  next  to  proportion,  these  con- 


•  Of  the  best  works  on  this  subject,  those  of  Mengs  alone,  I 
believe,  have  been  translated  ;  but  the  translation  is  so  inaccurate 
as  to  be  worthless. 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      263 

stituting  the  two  parts  the  most  useful  and  neces- 
sary of  the  human  form  ;  and  this  is,  throughout, 
the  character  of  their  primitive  taste.  All  this  we 
observe  in  history,  and  in  the  divine  and  human 
figures  which  they  have  represented. 

"  In  these  figures,"  he  farther  observes,  "  we  find 
a  proportion,  impossible  to  be  known  and  practised, 
without  an  art  which  furnishes  sure  rules.  These 
rules  could  not  be  founded  otherwise  than  in  pro- 
portion, which  was  invented  and  practised  by  the 
Greeks." 

In  this,  Flaxman  agrees,  when  he  says  :  "  It  must 
not  be  supposed  that  those  simple  geometrical  forms 
of  body  and  limbs,  in  the  divinities  and  heroes  of 
antiquity,  depended  upon  accidental  choice,  or  blind 
and  ignorant  arbitration.  They  are,  on  the  con- 
trary, a  consequence  of  the  strict  and  extensive 
examination  of  nature,  of  rational  inquiry  into  its 
most  perfect  organization  and  physical  well-being, 
expressed  in  outward  appearance." 

"  That  the  Greeks,"  says  Bossi,  "  wrote  much  on 
this  subject  [their  doctrine  respecting  symmetry] 
we  have  ample  evidence  in  Pliny,  Vitruvius  himself, 
Philostratus  the  younger,  and  others. 

"  Polycletus  did  not  confine  himself  to  giving  a 
commentary  upon  this  fundamental  point,  but,  in 
illustration  of  his  treatise,  according  to  Galen, 
made  an  admirable  statue  that  confirmed  the  pre- 
cepts laid  down  in  the  work ;  and  '  The  Rule  of 
Polycletus,'  the  name  given  to  this  statue,  became 
so  famous  for  its  beauty,  that  it  passed  into  a  prov- 


264      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

erb  to  express  a  perfect  body,  as  we  may  find  in 
Lucian. 

"  But  of  SO  many  writings,  which  ought  at  least 
to  equal  the  works  that  remain  to  us,  and  probably 
were  superior,  inasmuch  as  it  is  easier  to  lay  down 
precepts  than  to  put  them  in  execution  —  of  so 
many  treatises,  I  say,  not  a  fragment  remains  [ex- 
cept the  few  lines  of  Vitruvius],  nor  is  there,  now, 
any  hope  that  a  vestige  will  be  found,  unless  some- 
thing may  remain  for  posterity  among  the  papyri 
of  Herculaneum." 

Now,  to  approach  to  the  ancients  in  excellence 
is  quite  impossible,  until  some  one  shall  explain  the 
great  principles  on  which  they  acted.  Assuredly 
they  are,  in  some  of  the  most  important  respects, 
unknown  at  present.  Servile  imitation  will  never 
answer  the  purpose ;  and  to  learn  as  the  ancients 
did,  and  reach  perfection,  perhaps,  in  as  many  ages, 
is  not  very  rational,  when  we  can  avail  ourselves 
of  their  practice  to  discover  their  principles.  I 
will,  in  this  chapter,  endeavor  to  point  out  some  of 
these  principles  in  the  practice  of  art,  as  I  have  al- 
ready done  in  the  general  theory  of  beauty. 

"  It  is  probable,"  says  Winckelmann,  "  that  the 
Grecian  artists,  in  imitation  of  the  Egyptians,  had 
fixed,  by  well-determined  rules,  not  only  the  largest, 
but  even  the  very  smallest  proportions,  and  the 
measure  of  the  length  proper  to  every  age  and  to 
every  kind  of  contour  ;  and  probably  all  these  rules 
were  learned  by  young  persons,  from  books  that 
treated  of  symmetry." 

These  rules,  we  know,  were   of  three  kinds  — 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      265 

numerical,  geometrical,  and  harmonic ;  and  we 
shall  see,  in  the  sequel,  that  the  loss  of  them  has 
been  much  deplored.  It  is.  not  a  little  curious, 
however,  that  the  numerical'  and  geometrical  meth- 
ods are,  in  some  measure,  actually  practised  even 
at  the  present  day,  and  that  the  harmonic  method 
(the  loss  of  which  has  caused  the  greatest  confu- 
sion) is  easily  deducible  from  anatomical  and  phys- 
iological principles,  as  I  shall  endeavor  to  show- 
As  tp  the  ^UMERICAL  METHOD,  it  is  evidently  that 
of  which  Vitruvius  has  preserved  some  notions, 
and  which  is  at  present  practised  by  artists. 

"As  it  is  the  painter's  business,"saysBossi,  "to 
imitate  a  great  variety  of  human  bodies,  and  as  the 
difference  of  parts  in  beautiful  bodies  is  generally 
slight,  and  becomes,  as  it  were,  imperceptible,  in 
the  most  usual  imitations  less  than  life,  Leonardo 
perceived  it  was  necessary  for  the  artist  to  use  a 
general  measure,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  his- 
torical compositions  quickly.  He  required  that  the 
figure  to  be  employed  should  be  carefully  selected 
on  the  model  of  some  natural  body,  the  proportions 
of  which  were  generally  considered  beautiful. — 
This  measure,  he  required,  should  be  employed 
solely  for  length,  and  not  for  width,  which  requires 
more -evident  variety." 

<'  It  has  been  observed,"  says  Flaxman,  "  that 
Vitruvius,  from  the  writings  of  the  most  eminent 
Greek  painters  and  sculptors,  informs  us  that  they 
made  their  figures  eight  heads  high,  or  ten  faces, 
and  he  instances  different  parts  of  the  figure 
measured  according  to  that  rule,  which  the  great 
23 


266       PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

Michael  Angelo  adopted,  as  wc  see  by  a  print  from 
a  drawing  of  his." 

Winckelmann,  however,  shows  that  the  foot 
served  the  Greeks  as  a  measure  for  all  their  larger 
dimensions,  and  that  their  sculptors  regulated  their 
proportions  by  it,  in  giving  six  times  its  length,  as 
the  model  of  the  human  figure.  Vitruvius  says, 
"Pe*  vero  altitudinis  corporis  sextcR^ 

"  The  foot,"  says  Wincklemann,  "  which  among 
the  ancients  was  used  as  the  standard  of  measures 
of  every  magnitude  (for  a  given  measure  of  fluids 
was  also  called  by  this  name),  was  very  useful  to 
sculptors  in  fixing  the  proportions  of  the  body,  and 
■with  reason  ;  for  the  foot  was  a  more  determinate 
measure  than  that  of  the  head  or  face,  of  which 
the  moderns  generally  make  use.  The  ancient 
artists  regulated  the  size  of  their  statues  by  the 
length  of  the  foot,  making  them,  according  to 
Vitruvius,  six  times  the  length  of  the  foot.  Upon 
this  principle,  Pythagoras  determined  the  height 
of  Hercules,  by  the  length  of  the  feet  with  which 
he  measured  the  Olympic  stadium  at  Elis. 

"  This  proportion  of  six  to  one  between  the  foot 
and  the  body,  is  founded  upon  experience  of  nature, 
even  in  slender  figures :  it  is  found  correct,  not 
only  in  the  Egyptian  statues,  but  also  in  the  Gre- 
cian ;  and  it  will  be  discovered  in  the  greater  part 
of  the  ancient  figures  where  the  feet  are  preserved." 

"  We  would  not  omit  mentioning,"  says  Bossi, 
"  the  erroneous  opinion  of  those,  who  esteem  the 
feet  of  females  beautiful  in  proportion  to  their 
smallness.     The  beauty  of  the  feet  consists  in  the 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.       267 

handsomeness  and  neatness  of  their  shape,  not  in 
their  being  short,  or  extremely  small :  were  it 
otherwise,  the  feet  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese 
women  would  be  beautiful,  and  those  of  the  Venus 
de  Medici  frightful." 

Such,  then,  is  evidently  the  numerical  method 
of  the  ancients. —  Of  the  geometrical  method,  we 
have  many  illustrations. 

A  man  standing  upright,  with  his  arms  extended, 
is,  as  Leonardo  da  Vinci  has  shown,  enclosed  in  a 
square,  the  extreme  extent  of  his  arms  being  equal 
to  his  height.  This  is  evidently  the  most  general 
measure  of  the  latter  kind. 

Of  the  latter  kind,  also,  is  Camper's  ellipsis  for 
measuring  the  relative  size  of  the  shoulders  in  the 
male,  and  the  pelvis  in  the  female. 

So  also  is  the  measure  from  the  centre  of  one 
mammse  to  that  of  the  other,  as  equal  to  the  dis- 
tance from  each  to  the  pit  over  the  breast-bone. 

We  now  approach  the  chief  difficulty,  which 
evidently  formed  a  stumbling-block  even  to  Leo- 
nardo da  Vinci  —  that  harmonic  method  which, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  will  be  found  to  afford 
rules  that  are  at  once  perfectly  precise,  and  yet 
infinitely  variable.  The  apparent  impossibility 
indeed  of  such  a  rule  seems  to  have  embarrassed 
every  one.  And  the  statement  which  Bossi  makes 
in  regard  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  in  this  respect,  is 
exceedingly  interesting. 

"He  thought,"  says  Bossi,  "but  little  of  any 
general  measure  of  the  species ;  and  that  the  true 
proportion  admitted  by  him,  and  acknowledged  to 


268      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

be  of  difficult  investigation,  is  solely  the  proportion 
of  an  individual  in  regard  to  himstlf,  \vhich,  ac- 
cording to  true  imitation,  should  be  different  in  all 
the  individuals  of  a  species,  as  is  the  case  in  nature. 
Thus,  says  he,  '  all  the  parts  of  a7iy  animal  should 
correspond  with  the  whole  ;  that  which  is  short  and 
thick,  should  have  every  member  short  and  thick ; 
that  which  is  long  and  thin,  every  member  long 
and  thin ;  and  that  which  is  between  the.  two, 
members  of  a  proportionate  size.'  From  this  and 
other  precepts,  it  follows,  that,  when  he  speaks  of 
proportion,  he  is  to  be  understood  as  referring  to 
the  harmony  of  the  parts  of  an  individual,  and  not 
to  the  general  rule  of  imitation  in  reference  to 
dimensions."  —  How  clearly  (notwithstanding  the 
error  as  to  all  being  short  and  thick)  does  this 
point  to  the  harmonic  method  of  proportion  forth- 
with to  be  explained  1 

"  It  would  seem  he  felt  within  himself  that  he 
did  not  reach  the  perfection  of  those  wonderful 
ancients  of  whom  he  professed  himself  the  admi- 
rer and  disciple. 

"It  became,  therefore,  Leonardo's  particular  care 
and  study  to  approach  as  nearly  as  he  could  to  the 
ancients  in  the  true  imitation  of  beautiful  nature 
under  the  guidance  of  philosophy. 

"  But  whether  from  want  of  great  examples,  or 
from  not  sufficiently  penetrating,  as  he  himself 
thought,  into  these  artifices,  or  from  comprehend- 
ing them  too  late,  he  modestly  laments  that  he  did 
not  possess  the  ancient  art  of  proportions.  He 
then  protests  that  he  has  done  the  little  he  was  able 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      269 

to  do,  and  asks  pardon  of  posterity  that  he  has  not 
done  more.  Such  are  the  sentiments  that  Platino 
exhibits  in  the  following  epitaph : 

"  Leonardus  Vincia  (sic)  Florentinus 
Statuarius  Pictor  que  nobilissimus 
de  se  parce  loquitur. 

"  Non  sum  Lysippus  ;  nee  Apelles  ;  nee  Policletus  , 

Nee  Zeuxis  ;  nee  sum  nobilis  sere  Myron. 
Sum  Florentinus  Leonardus  Vincia  proles  ; 

Mirator  veterum  discipulusque  memor.  ■ 
Defuit  una  mihi  symmetria  prisca  :  peregi 

Quod  potui :  veniam  da  mihi  posteritas." 

"  It  is  evident  that  these  sentiments  are  not  to 
be  attributed  to  the  imagination  of  the  poet." 

Bossi,  having  no  glimpse  of  the  great  principles 
for  which  Leonardo  sought  in  vain,  says  :  "  Since, 
then,  this  great  man  could  not  satisfy  himself  in 
the  difficult  task  of  dimensions,  while  on  other 
points  he  seems  to  dread  no  censure,  it  should  give 
us  a  strong  idea  of  the  difficulty  of  determining  the 
laws  of  beautiful  symmetry,  and  preserving  it  in 
works  with  that  harmony  which  is  felt,  but  cannot  be 
explained,  and  which  varies  in  every  figure,  accord- 
ing to  the  age,  circumstances,  and  particular  charac- 
ter of  each. 

"  And  when  we  recollect  that,  though  Leonardo 
sought  successfully  in  Vitruvius  the  proportions 
which  Vitruvius  himself  seems  to  have  drawn  from 
the  Greeks,  he  yet  lamented  that  he  did  not  possess 
the  ancient  symmetry,  it  is  easily  seen  that  he  did 
not  mean  by  this  science,  as  already  stated,  a  de- 
terminate general  measure  for  man,  but  that  har- 
23* 


270      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

mony  of  parts  which  is  suited  to  each  individual, 
according  to  the  respective  circumstances  of  sex^  age, 
character^  and  the  like.^^  Again,  how  clearly  does 
this  point  to  the  harmonic  method  of  proportion  to 
be  presently  explained ! 

"But,"  Bossi  proceeds,  "how  difficult  it  is  to 
combine  the  beautiful  and  elegant,  with  easy  and 
harmonic  measures,  may  be  judged  from  the  vain 
attempts  of  many  otherwise  ingenious  men,  as  I 
will  here  relate  for  the  benefit  of  artists.  The  dif 
ficulty  will  be  still  more  evident  if  we  reflect  how 
arduous  a  task  it  is  to  make  the  proportions  that 
the  Greeks  denominated  numerical,  harmonic,  and 
geometrical,  agree  together,  and  to  apply  them  thus 
agreeing,  to  the  formation  of  rules  and  measures 
of  a  visible  object  so  various  in  its  component  parts 
as  the  human  body." — In  despair,  Bossi  tries  to 
show  its  absolute  impossibility  ! 

"  In  the  second  place,  to  penetrate  completely 
the  natural  reason  of  the  proportions  of  the  hunian. 
body,  would  require  a  knowledge  of  physics,  which 
it  is  not  in  man's  power  to  obtain.  The  universal 
equilibrium  of  the  numerous  constituent  parts  of 
the  human  machine,  every  one  of  which  eminently 
attains  the  end  for  which  it  was  destined,  without 
interrupting  the  course  that  every  other  part  takes 
to  its  respective  end,  in  which  true  proportion 
seems  to  consist,  is  more  easily  stated  than  under- 
stood. And  even  if  an  artist  could  arrive  at  such 
a  knowledge  of  man  as  to  be  able,  so  to  speak,  to 
compose  him,  he  would  have  done  but  little,  be- 
cause he  would  have  made  but  one  man.    By  the 


PEOPOETION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      271 

alteration  of  only  one  of  the  infinite  parts  that 
compose  the  human  frame,  the  equilibrium  and 
■respective  relation  of  the  others  are  necessarily 
altered  :  in  short,  each  separate  individual  would 
be  the  subject  of  a  totally  new  study. 

"  Every  human  habit,  of  whatever  nature  it  may 
be,  has  an  influence  over  the  human  figure,  and 
from  the  indefinable  variety  and  incalculable  mix- 
ture of  such  habits,,  there  results  an  infinite  variety 
of  figures.  Thus,  it  is  evident  that  true  general 
proportions  cannot  be  laid  down  without  violating 
nature,  which  it  is  the  object  of  art  to  imitate."  — 
If,  by  "  general  proportions,"  Bossi  here  means 
proportions  applicable  to  all  or  to  a  great  number, 
he  completely  loses  sight  of  the  object  of  the  great 
man  on  whose  opinions  he  comments;  for  he  sought 
a  rule  for  the  harmony  of  parts  in  each  distinct  in- 
dividual ! 

Again,  Bossi  abandons,  as  impossible,  the  finding 
of  the  harmonic  rule,  which  was  the  great  object 
of  Leonardo.  —  "From  what  has  been  said,  we 
may  finally  conclude  that  large  proportions  only 
can  be  established,  and  that  placing  too  much  con- 
fidence in  measures,  retards,  rather  than  favors  the 
arts. 

"  It  was  written  of  Raphael,  and  is  seen,  that  he 
had  as  many  proportions  as  he  made  figures.  Mi- 
chael Angelo  did  the  same,  arid  it  was  his  saying, 
that  he  who  had  not  the  compasses  in  his  eye, 
would  never  be  able  to  supply  the  deficiency  by 
artificial  means.  Vincentio  Danti,  who  treasured 
the  doctrine   of  Michael  Angelo,   asserts   in  his 


272      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

work,  that  the  proportions  do  not  fall  under  any 
measure  of  quantity.  We  have  seen  the  infinite 
exceptions  of  Leonardo,  respecting  the  measure- 
ment of  man,  and  his  own  few  works  confirm  it. 
I  speak  no  more  of  inferior  persons  among  the 
moderns  ;  but  turning  to  the  ancients,  I  find  that 
the  proportions  of  every  good  statue  are  difl^erent." 
—  And  this  will  be  found  conformable  to  the  har- 
monic rule. 

"  And  speaking  generally  of  works  in  relievo, 
what  canons  can  determine  the  largeness  or  small- 
ness  of  some  parts,  so  as  to  obtain  a  greater  efi!ect 
according  to  the  circumstances  of  light,  distance, 
material,  visual  point,  &c.  1  Certainly  none."  — 
This  was  not  to  be  expected  from  the  rule  sought 
for. 

"  I  shall  deem  that  I  have  gained  some  recom- 
pense for  the  toil  of  wading  through  so  many  tedi- 
ous works,  if  it  shall  induce  any  faith  in  the  advice 
I  now  give,  namely,  that  '  every  student  of  paint- 
ing should  himself  measure  many  bodies  of  ac- 
knowledged beauty,  compare  them  with  the  finest 
imitations  in  painting  and  sculpture,  and  from  these 
measures  make  a  canon  for  himself,  dividing  it  in 
the  manner  best  suited  to  his  genius  and  memorJ^ 
If  this  plan  were  more  generally  adopted,  art  and 
its  productions  would  both  be  gainers.'  "  —  It  might 
do  so,  among  as  ingenious  a  people  as  the  Greeks, 
in  as  many  ages  as  the  same  method  cost  them  to 
do  it  in !  Leonardo  da  Vinci  wanted  to  abridge 
the  time,  instead  of  beginning  again ! 

Winckelmann  as  little   understands   this   great 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      273 

man's  object,  when,  after  saying,  "As  the  ancients 
made  ideal  beauty  their  principal  study,  they  de- 
termined its  relations  and  proportions,"  he  adds 
"from  which,  however,  they  allowed  themselves  to 
deviate,  when  they  fiad  a  good  reason,  and  yielded 
themselves  to  the  guidance  of  their  genius." 
Why,  the  whole  purpose  of  the  rule  sought  for 
was  to  regulate  every  possible  deviation,  as  will 
now  be  seen. 

The  harmonic  method  of  the  Greeks  —  that  mea- 
sure which  Leonardo  calls  the  "  true  proportion" — 
"  the  proportion  of  an  individual  in  regard  to  him- 
self"—  "which  should  be  different  in  all  the  indi- 
viduals of  a  species,"  but  in  which  "  all  the  parts 
of  any  animal  should  correspond  with  the  whole," 
which  constitutes  "  the  harmony  of  the  parts  of  an 
individual,"  and  which,  as  Bossi  adds,  "  varies  in 
every  figure,  according  to  the  age,  circumstances, 
and  particular  character  of  each"  —  in  short,  this 
method  for  the  harmony  of  parts  in  each  distinct  in- 
dividual—  this  method  presenting  rules,  perfectly 
precise,  and  yet  infinitely  variable,  has,  in  all  its 
elements,  been  clearly  laid  before  the  reader  (though 
not  enunciated  as  a  rule)  —  in  the  relative  propor- 
tions' of  the  locomotive,  nutritive,  and  thinking 
systems,  or,  generally  speaking,  of  the  limbs,  trunk, 
and  head,  and  in  the  three  species  of  beauty  which 
are  founded  on  them- 

These,  it  is  evident,  present  to  the  philosophic 
observer,  the  sole  means  of  judging  of  beauty  by 
harmonic  rule,  the  great  object  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci's   desires  and  regrets.      They  present  the 


274      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

great  features  of  the  Greek  method — if  that  method 
conformed  to  truth  and  nature,  as  it  undoubtedly 
did.  This  will  be  rendered  still  clearer  by  a  single 
example. 

Thus,  if  any  individual  be  characterized  by  the 
development  of  the  nutritive  system,  this  harmonic 
rule  of  nature  demands  not  only  that,  as  in  the 
Saxon-English,  the  Dutch,  and  many  Germans,  the 
trunk  shall  be  large,  but  consequently,  that  the 
other  two  portions,  the  head  and  the  limbs,  shall 
be  relatively  small ;  tha-t  the  calvarium  shall  be 
small  and  round,  and  the  intellectual  powers  re- 
stricted ;  that  the  head  shall,  nevertheless,  be 
broad,  because  the  vital  cavities  of  the  head  are 
large,  and  because  large  jaws  and  muscles  of  mas- 
tication are  necessary  for  the  supply  of  such  a  sys- 
tem ;  that  the  neck  shall  be  short,  because  the 
locomotive  system  is  little  developed ;  that  it  shall 
be  thick,  because  the  vessels  which  connect  the 
head  to  the  trunk  are  large  and  full,  the  former 
being  only  an  appendage  of  the  latter ;  that  the 
lower  limbs  shall  be  both  short  and  slender  ;  that 
the  calves  of  the  legs  shall  be  small  and  high  j* 
that  the  feet  shall  be  little  turned  out,  ice,  &c. 

So  also,  if  any  individual  be  characterized  by 
the  development  of  the  locomotive  system,  the 
harmonic  rule  demands,  not  only  that  the  limbs 
shall  be  large,  but,  consequently,  that    the    other 


•  Thus  it  is  not  correct,  as  stated  by  Leonardo,  that  when  some 
parts  are  broad  or  thick,  all  are  broad  ;  though,  in  peculiar  com- 
binations, that  may  occur. 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      275 

two  portions,  the  head  and  the  trunk,  shall  be  rela 
tively  small ;  that  the  calvarium  shall  be  small  and 
long,  and  the  intellectual  powers  limited  ;  that  the 
head  shall  be  long,  because  the  jaws  and  their 
muscles  are  extended,  &c.,  &c. 

So  likewise,  if  any  individual  be  characterized  by 
the  development  of  the  thinking  system,  the  har- 
monic rule  demands,  not  only  that  the  head  shall 
be  large,  but,  consequently,  that  the  other  two 
portions,  the  trunk  and  limbs,  shall  be  relatively 
small ;  that  the  head  shall  not  only  be  large,  but 
that  its  upper  part,  the  calvarium,  shall  be  largest, 
giving  a  pyramidal  appearance  to  the  head;  that 
the  trunk  and  limbs,  however  elegantly  formed, 
shall  be  relatively  feeble,  the  former  often  liable  to 
disease,  the  latter  t-o  accident,  as  we  have  seen  in 
the  most  illustrious  examples,  &:c.,  Sec. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  as  already 
explained,  that  there  may  be  innumerable  combi- 
nations and  modifications  of  these  characteristics; 
certain  greater  ones,  nevertheless,  generally  pre- 
dominating. 

Such,  doubtless,  was  the  harmonic  method  of  the 
Greeks ;  whether,  by  them,  it  was  thus  clearly 
founded  on  anthropology,  or  not. 

It  is  curious  that  several  writers,  and  Winckel- 
mann  among  the  rest,  should  have  adopted  a  triple 
division  of  the  body  —  without,  however,  duly 
founding  it  in  anthropology.  Thus  Winckelmann 
says  *'  the  entire  body  is  divided  into  three  parts, 
and  the  principal  members  are  also  divided  into 
three.     The  parts  of  the  body  are  the  trunk,  the 


276      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

thighs,  and  the  legs !" — a  distribution  and  division 
founded  neither  in  nature  nor  in  truth. 

That  the  Greeks  were  more  or  less  aware  of  the 
principles  here  stated,  though  their  writings  have 
not  descended  to  us,  is  proved  by  their  idealizations 
founded  upon  them. 

"  If  different  proportions,"  says  Winckelmann, 
"  are  sometimes  met  with  in  any  figure,  as  for  ex- 
ample, in  the  beautiful  trunk  of  a  naked  female 
figure  in  the  possession  of  Signior  Cavaceppi  at 
Rome,  in  which  the  body  from  the  navel  to  the 
sexual  parts  is  of  an  uncommon  length,  it  is  most 
probable  that  such  figures  have  been  copied  from 
nature,  that  is,  from  persons  so  formed."  — Nothing 
certainly  would  be  better  founded  in  natural  ten- 
dency than  such  idealization. 

All  the  three  Greek  methods  of  proportion  being 
now  before  the  reader,  I  mast  briefly  notice  other 
circumstances. 

In  the  head  in  particular,  may  be  observed  char- 
acter, or  a  permanent  and  invariable  form,  which 
defines  its  capabilities,  and  expression,  or  tempo- 
rary and  variable  forms,  which  indicate  its  actual 
functions. 

The  teachers  of  anatomy  for  artists  have  not, 
that  I  know  of,  clearly  described  the  causes  of 
these.  I  may  therefore  observe,  that  as  character 
is  permanent  and  invariable,  it  depends  fundament- 
ally ompervaanent  and  inyQ.T\ah\e  parts — the  bones; 
and  as  expression  is  temporary  and  variable,  it  de- 
pends on  shifting  and  variable  parts  —  the  muscles. 

It  is  well  observed  by  Mengs  that,  in  relation  to 


PaOPORTIOJf,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC      271 

character,  "  the  peculiar  distinction  of  the  ancients 
is,  that  from  one  part  of  the  face,  we  may  know  the 
character  of  the  whole."  And,  of  expression, 
Winckelmann  ohserves  that  "  the  portion  which 
possesses  beauty  of  expression  or  action,  or  beauty 
of  both  added  to  the  figure  of  any  person,  is  like 
the  resemblance  of  one  wbo  yiews  himself  in  a 
fountain ;  the  reflection  is  not  seen  plainly  unless 
the  surface  of  the  water  be  still,  limpid,  and  clear  j 
quiet  and  tranquillity  are  as  suitable  to  beauty  as  to 
the  sea.  Expression  and  action  being,  in  art  as  in 
nature,  the  evidence  of  the  active  or  passive  state 
of  the  mind,  perfect  beauty  can  never  exist  in  the 
countenance  unless  the  mind  be  calm  and  free  from 
all  agitation,  at  least  from  everything  likely  to 
change  and  disturb  the  lineaments  of  which  beauty 
is  composed." 

Now  the  details  which,  during  the  period  of  per- 
fection in  art,  were  so  skilfully  employed,  were 
these  very  means  of  expression  or  circumstances 
attending  and  indicating  them  —  minuter  forms 
which  are  universal,  and  without  which  nature  is 
imperfectly  represented — minuter  forms  of  the 
highest  order,  because  the  means  of  expressing  in- 
tellect, emotion,  and  passion,  if  required. 

These  higher  details  we  find,  for  instance,  in  the 
turn  of  the  inner  end  of  the  eyebrow,  or  constric- 
tion and  elevation  of  the  under  eyelid,  or  a  hundred 
other  traits  dependant  on  subjacent  muscles.  We 
find  them  in  slight  risings  of  mere  cutaneous  parts, 
when  they  lie  over  and  are  elevated  by  the  attach- 
ment of  muscles,  as  at  the  inner  angles  of  the  eyes, 
24 


278      PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC. 

the  corners  of  the  mouth,  and  elsewhere.  We  find 
them  in  depressions  or  furrows,  when  they  are 
drawn  down  by  contiguous  muscles.  These  are  of 
higher  character,  because  they  belong  to  expression 
or  its  means  ;  and  there  is  a  corresponding  want  of 
completeness,  of  truth,  of  nature,  without  them. 

Between  these  intellectual  means,  these  higher 
details,  and  those  of  a  lower  order,  accidental  de- 
tails, the  great  artists  of  Greece  distinguished. 
Accidental  details  have  nothing  to  do  with  expres- 
sion or  the  means  of  expression ;  they  depend  upon 
an  inferior  system,  that  merely  of  life,  and  consti- 
tute all  the  depositions,  excrescences,  and  growths, 
which  confuse  the  vision  of  the  inexperienced,  and 
embarrass  that  of  the  most  discriminating,  in  the 
examination  of  higher  beauty. 

These  lower  details  we  find,  for  instance,  in  the 
puffings  of  adipose  substance  which  project  from 
the  spaces  between  the  muscles  of  the  face,  and 
from  other  accidents  of  the  vital  system,  as  wrin- 
kles or  folds  from  the  absence  of  adipose  substance, 
fulness  or  emptiness  of  the  vessels,  projecting  veins, 
peculiar  conditions  of  the  skin,  turbidity  of  the 
eyes,  hairs  of  the  head,  beard,  or  skin,  &c.  These 
have  always  characterized  inferior  artists  and  infe- 
rior periods  of  art. 

From  these  observations,  it  will  be  seen  that 
such  unqualified  statements  as  the  following  by 
Azara,  lead  only  to  misconception :  "  A  human 
face,  for  example,  is  composed  of  the  forehead, 
brows,  eyes,  nose,  cheeks,  mouth,  chin,  and  beard. 
These  are  the  great  parts ;  but  each  of  these  con- 


PROPORTION,  CHARACTER,  EXPRESSION,  ETC.      279 

tains  many  other  minor  parts,  which  also  contain 
an  infinity  of  others  still  less.  If  the  painter  will 
content  himself  to  express  well  the  great  parts 
which  I  have  taken  notice  of,  he  will  have  a  grand 
style  ;  if  he  depicts  also  the  second,  his  style  will 
be  that  of  mediocrity  ;  and  if  he  pretends  to  intro- 
duce the  last,  his  style  will  be  insignificant  and 
ridiculous." 


JHh 


280  THE    GREEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY. 


CHAPTER  X\1II. 


THE    GREEK    IDEAL    BEAUTY. 


On  this  important  doctrine  of  art,  of  which  Winck- 
ebnann  says :  "  The  ideal  is  as  much  more  noble 
than  the  mechanical  as  the  mind  is  superior  to  the 
body,"  I  shall  follow,  so  far  as  I  can  advantage- 
ously, the  great  writers  on  this  subject,  in  order 
that  the  reader  may  have  all  the  confidence  in  its 
recognised  portions  that  authority  can  bestow,  and 
that  he  may  the  better  distinguish  them  from  the 
new  views  which  are  here  added. 

"  There  are,"  says  Winckelmann,  "  two  kinds 
of  beauty,  individual  and  ideal :  the  former  is  a 
combination  of  the  beauties  of  an  individual  j  the 
latter,  a  selection  of  beautiful  parts  from  several. 

"  The  formation  of  beauty  was  begun  from  some 
beautiful  individual,  that  is,  from  the  imitation  of 
some  beautiful  person,  as  in  the  representation  of 
some  divinity.  Even  in  the  ages  when  the  arts 
were  flourishing,  the  goddesses  were  formed  from 
the  models  of  beautiful  women,  and  even  from 
those  who  publicly  sold  their  charms :  such  was 
Theodota,  of  whom  Xenophon  speaks.  Nor  was 
any  one  scandalized  at  it,  for  the  opinion  of  the 
ancients  on  these  matters  was  very  different  from 
ours." 


THE    GREEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY.  281 

Winckelmann  adds  :  "  There  is  rarely  or  never, 
a  body  without  fault,  all  the  parts  of  which  are  such 
that  it  is  impossible  to  find  or  draw  them  more 
perfect  in  other  persons.  The  wisest  artists,  being 
aware  of  this  .  .  .  did  not  confine  themselves  to 
copying  the  forms  of  beauty  from  one  individual  .  . 
but  seeking  what  is  beautiful  from  various  objects, 
they  endeavored  to  combine  them  together,  as  the 
celebrated  Parrhasius  says  in  his  discourse  with 
Socrates.  Thus,  in  the  formation  of  their  figures, 
they  were  not  guided  by  any  personal  afiections, 
by  which  we  are  frequently  led,  in  the  pursuit  of 
beauty  that  pleases  us,  to  abandon  true  beauty. 

"  From  the  selection  of  the  most  beautiful  parts 
and  their  harmonious  union  in  one  figure,  arises 
ideal  beauty :  nor  is  this  a  metaphysical  idea,  be- 
cause all  the  portions  of  the  human  figure  taken 
separately  are  not  ideal ;  but  merely  the  entire 
figure."  And  he  elsewhere  says :  "  It  is  called 
ideal,  not  as  regards  its  parts,  but  as  a  whole,  in 
which  nature  can  be  surpassed  by  art." 

With  deeper  observation  still,  he  adds  that, 
"  though  nature  tends  to  perfection  in  the  forma- 
tion of  individuals,  yet  she  is  so  constantly  thwarted 
by  the  numerous  accidents  to  which  humanity  is 
subject,  that  she  cannot  attain  the  end  proposed ; 
so  that  it  is  in  a  manner  impossible  to  find-ah  in- 
dividual in  whom  all  parts  of  the  body  are  perfectly 
beautiful." 

It  was  to  the  same  purport  that  Proclus  had  in 
ancient  times  said  :  "  He  who  takes  for  his  model 
such  forms  as  nature  produces,  and  confines  him- 
2i 


282  THB   GREEK   IDEAL   BEAUTY. 

self  to  an  exact  imitation  of  them,  will  neA'er  attain 
to  what  is  perfectly  beautiful.  For  the  works  of 
nature  are  full  of  disproportion,  and  fall  very  short. 
of  the  true  standard  of  beauty.  So  that  Phidias, 
when  he  formed  his  Jupiter,  did  not  copy  any  ob- 
ject ever  presented  to  his  sight,  but  contemplated 
only  that  image  which  he  had  conceived  in  his 
mind  from  Homer's  description."* 

In  short,  while  the  Greek  artists  perpetually 
studied  nature,  they  discovered  her  best  and  highest 
tendencies  even  in  her  most  perfect  forms ;  their 
works  accordingly  present  nothing  foreign  to  that 
which  is  strictly  beautiful ;  they  present  not  only 
no  inferior  forms,  but  no  idle  ornaments ;  and 
everything  in  them  is  accordingly  at  once  simple 
and  sublime. 

Barryf  affords  me  the  means  of  continuing  the 
view  I  now  wish  to  present.  "  In  all  individuals, 
he  says,  "  of  every  species,  there  is  necessarily  a 
visible  tendency  to  a  certain  point  or  form.  In 
this  point  or  form,  the   standard  of  each  species 


*  Lib.  II.  in  Timasum  Platonis. 

t  This  member  of  the  Royal  Academy  was  suspected  of  having 
■written  that  "republics  had  done  more  for  the  advaiM:ement  of  the 
fine  arts  than  monarchies."  The  late  George  III.,  who  did  not 
approve  of  truths  of  that  kind,  was  thereby  so  much  enraged, 
that  he  instantly  sent  for  the  list  of  the  members  of  the  academy, 
and  therefrom  erased  the  name  of  Barry.  The  academicians 
humbly  submitted  to  the  indignity  which  hereditary  wisdom  thus 
inflicted.  It  would  appear,  however,  that  bad  principles  are 
spreading  among  the  Royal  academicians ;  for  the  works  of  this 
expelled  member  are  now  daringly  given  by  th«jm  as  a  prize  to 
etudeats  at  tlie  academy .' 


THE    GHEEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY.  283 

rests.  The  deviations  from  this,  either  by  excess 
or  deficiency,  are  of  two  kinds:  first,  deviations 
indicating'  a  more  peculiar  adaptation  of  certain 
characters  of  advantage  and  utility,  such  as  strength, 
agility,  and  so  forth ;  even  mental  as  well  as  cor- 
poreal, since  they  sometimes  result  from  habit  and 
education,  as  well  as  from  original  conformation. 
In  these  deviations,  are  to  be  found  those  ingre- 
dients which,  in  their  composition  and  union,  ex- 
hibit the  abstract  or  ideal  perfection  in  the  several 
classes  or  species  of  character.  The  second  kind 
of  deviation  is  that  which,  having  no  reference  to 
anything  useful  or  advantageous,  but  rather  visibly 
indicating  the  contrary,  as  being  useless,  cumber- 
some, or  deficient,  is  considered  as  deformity;  and 
this  deformity  will  be  always  found  different  in  the 
several  individuals,  by  either  not  being  in  the  same 
part,  in  the  same  manner,  or  in  the  same  degree. 
The  points  of  agreement  which  indicate  the  species, 
are  therefore  many ;  of  difference  which  indicate 
the  deformity,  few." 

Barry,  however,  wrongly  says :  "  Mere  beauty, 
then,  though  always  interesting,  is,  notwithstand- 
ing, vague  and  indeterminate ;  as  it  indicates  no 
particular  expression  either  of  body  or  mind."  But 
it  indicates  the  highest  character,  the  capability  of 
all  noble  expression,  and  this  is  better  than  its  sac- 
rifice to  actuality  in  one. 

I  am  now  led  to  the  greater  rules  which  their 
ideal  method  suggested  to  the  Greeks.  Payne 
Knight  indeed  says  :  "  Precise  rules  and  definitions, 
in  matters  of  this  sort,  are  merely  the  playthings 


284«  THE  GREEK   IDEAL    BEAUXy. 

or  tools  of  system-builders  j"  and,  unchecked  by 
any  recollection  of  the  practical  and  unrivalled 
excellence  of  the  founders  of  these  rules,  he 
adds  a  great  deal  of  narrow-minded  and  mista- 
ken nonsense  upon  the  subject,  never  distinguish- 
ing between  rules  in  themselves  rational,  and  the 
stretching  of  them  to  utter  inapplicability.  On  this 
subject,  even  Reynolds  properly  observes,  that 
"  some  of  the  greatest  names  of  antiquity,  and 
those  who  have  most  distinguished  themselves  in 
works  of  genius  and  imagination,  were  equally 
eminent  for  their  critical  skill.  Plato,  Aristotle, 
Cicero,  and  Horace  ;  and  among  the  moderns, 
Boileau,  Corneille,  Pope,  and  Dryden,  are  at  least 
instances  of  genius  not  being  destroyed  by  atten- 
tion or  subjection  to  rules  and  science." 

But  the  grossest  errors  on  this  subject  have  been 
committed  by  Alison,  who  says :  "  Artists,  in  every 
age,  have  taken  pains  to  ascertain  the  most  exact 
measurement  of  the  human  form,  and  of  all  its 
parts.  .  .  If  the  beauty  of  form  consisted  in  any 
original  proportion,  the  productions  of  the  fine  arts 
would  everywhere  have  testified  it ;  and,  in  the 
works  of  the  statuary  and  the  painter,  we  should 
have  found  only  this  sole  and  sacred  system  of  pro- 
portion. The  fact  however  is,  as  every  one  knows, 
that,  in  such  productions,  no  such  rule  is  observed ; 
that  there  is  no  one  proportion  of  parts  which  be- 
longs to  the  most  beautiful  productions  of  these 
arts  ;  that  the  proportions  of  the  Apollo,  for  instance, 
are  different  from  those  of  the  Hercules,  the  Anti- 
nous,  the  Gladiator,  &c. ;  and  that  there  are  not, 


THE   GEEEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY.  285 

in  the  whole  catalogue  of  ancient  statues,  two,  per- 
haps, of  which  the  proportions  are  actually  the 
same." 

Now,  I  believe,  we  may  say  that  this  original  or 
most  perfect  proportion  is  presented  in  the  Apollo, 
which  is  not,  as  generally  supposed,  an  example  of 
peculiar,  but  of  universal  beauty  —  the  locomotive 
system  presenting  as  much  strength  as  is  compati- 
ble with  agility,  and  as  much  agility  as  is  compati- 
ble with  strength,  and  any  other  modification  of 
either  ensuring  diminution  of  power  ;  while  the 
vital  and  mental  systems  are  equally  perfect. 
Wherever  this  model  is  deviated  from  by  the  an- 
cient artists  it  is  peculiar  beauty,  I  believe,  that  is 
represented. 

He  farther  says :  "  They  have  imagined  also 
various  standards  of  this  measurement ;  and  many 
disputes  have  arisen,  whether  the  length  of  the 
head,  of  the  foot,  or  of  the  nose,  was  to  be  consid- 
ered as  this  central  and  sacred  standard.  Of  such 
questions  and  such  disputes,  it  is  not  possible  to 
speak  with  seriousness,  when  they  occur  in  the 
present  times."  So  also  Burke  says  :  "  It  must  be 
likewise  shown,  that  these  parts  stand  in  such  a 
relation  to  each  other,  that  the  comparison  between 
them  may  be  easily  made,  and  that  the  affection  of 
the  mind  may  naturally  result  from  it." 

Now,  no  man  in  his  senses  ever  cared  which  of 
these  measures  was  adopted,  except  as  a  matter  of 
convenience,  or  ever  imagined  that  peculiar  virtue 
resided  in  any  of  them. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  principal  rules 


286  THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAUXr. 

which,  either  by  intuition  or  with  due  definition, 
resulted  from  and  guided  the  practice  of  the  an- 
cient Greeks. 

First,  in  regard  to  the  thinking  system,  when 
the  ancient  artists,  either  from  taste  or  from  prin- 
ciple, gave  greater  opening  to  the  facial  angle  than 
eighty  degrees,  they  believed  that  an  increase  of 
intelligence  corresponded  to  that  conformation. 
By  increasing  the  angle  beyond  eighty-five  de- 
grees, they  impressed  upon  their  figures  the  grand- 
est character,  as  we  see  in  the  heads  of  the  Apollo, 
the  Venus,  and  others  whose  facial  angle  extends 
to  or  exceeds  ninety  degrees. 

In  regard  to  the  forehead,  then,  this  afforded  their 
rule  for  distinguishing  beings  of  a  superior  kind. 
How  well  they  observed  the  tendency  of  nature  to 
increase  that  angle  with  the  increase  of  some  of 
the  thinking  faculties,  we  now  know.  This  ideal 
rule  was,  therefore,  admirably  founded. 

Whoever  reflects  on  the  nature  of  this  angle  will 
perceive  that  its  increase  tended  nowise  to  raise 
the  forehead,  but  to  throw  it  forward,  and  therefore 
to  lengthen  the  head.  This  conforms  to  the  meta- 
phor by  which  a  long  head  is  used  for  a  wise  head, 
and  which  has  not  yet  given  place  to  a  broad  head, 
preferred  by  the  German  craniologists,  in  compli- 
ment to  their  own  organization. 

With  regard  to  the  height  of  the  forehead,  it  has 
already  been  observed  that  it  was,  among  the  an- 
cient Greeks,  more  considerable  than  its  breadth, 
as  may  be  seen  by  the  busts  of  their  most  illustri- 
ous men.     Still,  neither  the  natural  nor  the  ideal 


THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAXTTY  287 

forehead  much  exceeded  the  space  from  the  fore- 
head to  the  bottom  of  the  nose,  or  that  from  the 
nose  to  the  bottom  of  the  chin. 

Winckelmann  accordingly  says  :  "  The  forehead 
to  be  beautiful  should  be  low  [meaning,  as  his  ex- 
pressions elsewhere  show,  no  higher  than  the  other 
two  spaces  just  mentioned}  ;  and  its  lowness  was 
so  fixed  among  the  ideas  of  beauty  by  the  Grecian 
artists,  that  it  serves  as  a  mark  to  distinguish  mod- 
ern heads  from  ancient.  The  reason  of  this  ap- 
pears founded  in  the  very  rules  of  proportion,  which, 
as  in  the  whole  human  body,  was  among  the  an- 
cients tripartite  :  thus,  the  face  also  was  divided 
into  three  parts  ;  so  that  the  forehead  should  be  of 
the  same  length  as  the  nose,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  face  to  the  chin  of  the  same  length  likewise. 
This  proportion  was  founded  on  observation,  and 
we  may  at  any  time  convince  ourselves  of  it  in 
any  individual  with  a  low  forehead,  by  covering 
with  a  finger  the  hair  at  the  top  of  the  forehead, 
so  as  to  render  it  so  much  higher,  and  we  shall 
then  see  a  want  of  harmony  of  proportion  and  how 
detrimental  a  high  forehead  is  to  beauty." 

These  views  of  Winckelmann,  the  ideal  rule 
which  they  illustrate,  and,  above  all,  the  actual  di- 
mension of  the  forehead  among  the  philosophers, 
the  poets,  and  the  legislators  of  Greece,  whose 
genius  has  been  unequalled  in  modern  times,  show 
the  folly  of  the  craniological  hypothesis.  The  rea- 
son of  the  ideal  rule  has  not,  indeed,  been  assign- 
ed :  it  appears  to  me  to  be  this,  that  the  three  parts 
of  the  face  which,  as  I  have  shown  both  here  and 


288  THE   GREEK   IDEAL   BEAtrTT. 

in  my  work  on  physiognomy,  are  respectively  con- 
nected with  ideas,  emotions,  and  passions,  should 
be  equal  one  to  another,  or  that  these  acts  of  the 
organs  of  sense  and  brain  should  be  in  due  propor- 
tion and  harmony.  While,  therefore,  I  do  not,  with 
the  craniologists,  seek  the  predominance  of  any 
one  of  them,  neither  do  I,  with  Giovani  de  Laet, 
take  no  notice  of  the  space  between  the  top  of  the 
head  and  the  commencement  of  the  forehead,  and 
say  this  part  is  not  to  be  considered  in  the  height 
of  a  man,  quia  pars  excrementosa  est ! 

Their  next  rule  regarded  the  form  of  the  nose,  in 
nearly  the  same  line  with  the  forehead,  and  with 
little  indentation  between  these  parts. 

The  foundation  of  this  rule  I  have  not  seen  point- 
ed out ;  and  it  was  indeed  difficult  of  discovery, 
without  previous  knowledge  of  the  physiological 
fact  first  mentioned  in  ray  physiognomical  work, 
namely,  that  the  nose  is  the  inlet  of  vital  emotion 
or  pleasure,  as  the  eye  is  of  mental  emotion  ;  while 
the  passions  connected  with  nutrition  and  thought 
respectively,  depend  upon  other  organs,  the  mouth 
and  the  ear.  Anatomists  know  how  closely  asso- 
ciated are  the  nose  and  the  eyes,  and  the  mouth 
and  the  ears,  respectively. 

Now,  as  in  these  ideal  representations,  their  ob- 
ject was  to  increase  the  means  of  emotion,  but  not 
those  of  passion,  the  organs  of  the  former,  the  noso 
and  the  eyes,  were  all,  at  the  same  time,  enlarged 
by  raising  the  junction  of  the  forehead  and  the 
nose  j  while  those  of  passion,  the  mouth  and  the 
ears,  were  relatively  decreased.     Not  only  was  the 


THE  GREEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY.  289 

passage  of  nose  or  of  the  olfactory  nerves  to  the 
brain  strikingly  dilated  by  this  elevation  of  the  in- 
termediate part,  but  the  orbits  of  the  eyes  were  en- 
larged. As  then  we  naturally  associate  the  increase 
of  organs  with  the  increase  of  their  sensations  and 
with  corresponding  effects  upon  the  brain,  and  as  the 
tendency  to  such  configuration  is  as  conspicuous 
in  the  countries  they  inhabited,  as  is  the  energy  of 
the  emotions  with  which  they  are  connected,  this 
rule  was  as  admirably  founded  as  the  former  in 
natural  tendencies. 

I  deem  this  a  pendant  to  Camper's  discovery  of 
the  facial  angle,  and  one  too  which  was  not  quite 
so  obvious  or  so  easy  to  be  made.  It  disposes  of 
this  middle  or  intermediate  part  of  the  face,  and 
shows  that  the  Greeks  in  beings  of  the  highest 
character,  desired  the  gradual  predominance  of 
emotion  over  passion,  and  of  ideas  or  intellect  over 
emotion. 

A  vague  feeling  of  the  curious  fact  I  have  here 
explained,  Alison,  as  a  man  of  taste,  had,  when  he 
said  :  "Apply,  however,  this  beautiful  form  to  the 
countenance  of  the  warrior,  the  bandit,  the  martyr, 
&c.,  or  to  any  countenance  which  is  meant  to  ex- 
press deep  or  powerful  passion,  and  the  most  vulgar 
spectator  would  be  sensible  of  dissatisfaction,  if  not 
disgust." 

In  endeavoring  to  assign  a  reason  for  the  con- 
figuration which  I  have  just  explained,  Winckel- 
mann,  in  ascribing  it  to  the  mere  production  of  ef- 
fect, is  driven  into  a  ridiculous  inconsistency.  He 
thinks  that  for  large  statues  seen  at  a  distance,  it 
25 


290  THE  GREEK    IDEAL    BEAUTY. 

was  necessary,  and  so  came  to  be  used  for  small 
medals  seen  near,  for  which  it  was  not  necessary. 

"  In  the  heads  of  statues,  and  particularly  in 
ideal  heads,  the  eyes  are  deeper  set :  the  bulb  re- 
mains more  deep  than  is  usual  in  nature,  in  which 
sunken  eyes  render  the  countenance  austere  and 
cunning  instead  of  calm  and  joyful.  In  this  respect, 
art  has  departed  with  reason  from  nature  ;  for,  in 
figures  placed  to  be  seen  at  a  distance,  if  the  bulb 
of  the  eye  were  level  with  the  edge  of  the  orbit, 
there  would  be  no  effect  produced  of  light  and 
shade  ;  and  the  eye  itself,  placed  under  the  eye- 
brows which  do  not  project,  would  be  dull  and  in- 
expressive. This  maxim,  adopted  for  large  statues, 
became  in  time  universal ;  so  that  it  may  be  ob- 
served even  on  medals,  not  only  in  ideal  heads  but 
in  portraits."  And  elsewhere  he  says  :  "  Art  sub- 
sequently established  it  as  a  rule  to  give  this  form 
to  the  eyes  even  in  small  figures,  as  may  be  seen 
in  the  heads  on  coins." 

Thus  Winckelmann's  reason  avowedly  explains 
only  the  half  of  that  to  which  it  is  applied,  and  in 
reality  explains  nothing,  because  it  leaves  a  gross 
inconsistency,  of  which  Greek  genius  was  incapa- 
ble. 

Of  the  general  outline  thus  formed  of  the  face, 
Winckelmann  more  truly  says :  "  In  the  formation 
of  the  face,  the  Greek  profile  is  the  principal 
characteristic  of  sublime  beauty.  This  profile  is 
produced  by  the  straight  line,  or  the  line  but  very 
slightly  indented,  which  the  forehead  and  nose 
form   in   youthful   faces,  especially  female   ones. 


THE   GREEK   IDEAL   BEAUTY.  291 

Nature  seems  less  disposed  to  accord  this  form 
to  the  face  in  cold  than  in  mild  and  temperate 
climes  J  but  wherever  this  profile  is  found,  it  is 
always  beautiful.  The  straight  full  line  expresses 
a  kind  of  greatness,  and,  gently  curved,  it  presents 
the  idea  of  agreeable  delicacy.  That  in  these 
profiles  exists  one  cause  of  beauty  is  proved  by  the 
character  of  the  opposite  line  ;  for  the  greater  the 
inflection  of  the  nose,  the  less  beautiful  is  the. face; 
.and  if,  when  seen  sidewise,  it  presents  a  bad  profile, 
it  is  useless  to  look  for  beauty  in  any  other  view." 

A  third  rule  of  the  Greek  artists,  in  heads  of  the 
highest  character,  is  greatly  illustrated  by  the  new 
views  just  stated.  If,  in  these,  they  desired  to 
render  ideas  and  intellect  more  dominant  than 
emotions  of  pleasure  or  pain,  and  emotions  more 
dominant  than  passion,  it  becomes  evident  why 
they  equally  sought  to  avoid  the  convulsions  of 
impassioned  expression. 

A  very  beautiful  object  of  this,  is  mistaken  by 
Winckelmann.     I  quote  his  words  :  — 

"  Taken  in  either  sense  [of  action  or  of  passion], 
expression  changes  the  features  of  the  face,  and 
the  disposition  of  the  body,  and,  consequently,  the 
forms  which  constitute  beauty;  and  the  greater  the 
change,  the  greater  the  loss  of  beauty.  Therefore, 
the  state  of  tranquillity  and  repose  was  considered 
as  a  fundamental  point  in  the  art.  Tranquillity  is 
the  state  proper  to  beauty. 

"  The  handsomest  men  are  generally  the  most 
mild  and  the  best  disposed. 

"  Besides,  tranquillity  and  repose,  both  in  men 


292  THE    GHEEK    IDEAL    BEAUTY. 

and  animals,  is  the  state  which  allows  us  hest  to 
examine  and  represent  their  nature  and  qualities  ; 
as  we  can  see  the  bottom  of  the  sea  or  rivers  only 
when  the  waves  are  tranquil  and  the  stream  runs 
smoothly. 

"  Therefore,  the  Grecian  artists,  wishing  to  de- 
pict, in  their  representations  of  their  deities,  the 
perfection  of  human  beauty,  strove  to  produce,  in 
their  countenances  and  actions,  a  certain  placidity 
without  the  slightest  change  or  perturbation,  which, 
according  to  their  philosophy,  was  at  variance  with 
the  nature  and  character  of  the  gods.  The  figures 
produced  in  this  state  of  repose,  expressed  a  perfect 
equilibrium  of  feeling. 

"  But,  as  complete  tranquillity  and  repose  cannot 
exist  in  figures  in  action,  and  even  the  gods  are 
represented  in  human  form,  and  subject  to  human 
affections,  we  must  not  always  expect  to  find  in 
them  the  most  sublime  idea  of  beauty.  This  is 
then  compensated  for  by  expression.  The  ancient 
artists,  however,  never  lost  sight  of  it ;  it  was 
always  their  principal  object,  to  which  expression 
was  in  some  sort  made  subservient. 

"  Beauty  without  expression  would  be  insignifi- 
cant, and  expression  without  beauty  would  be  un- 
pleasing;  but,  from  their  influence  over  each  other, 
from  combining  together  their  apparently  discord- 
ant qualities,  results  an  eloquent,  persuasive,  and 
interesting  beauty." 

Some  of  these  remarks  are  true  and  beautiful ; 
but  the  great  object  of  the  Greeks,  in  suppressing  the 
convulsions  of  impassioned  expression^  was  the  be- 


TEE    GREEK   IDEAL   BEAUTY.  293 

stomal  of  grace,  the  highest  quality  in  all  represent- 
ation. It  is  surprising'  that  this  should  have  been 
so  universally  overlooked,  that,  eveij  among  artists, 
nothing  is  more  common  than  to  hear  regrets  that 
the  Greeks  gave  so  little  expression  to  their  figures! 
Let  the  reader  now  peruse  again  Dr.  Smith's  and 
Mr.  Alison's  account  of  grace,  and  if  he  is  ac- 
quainted with  the  productions  of  ancient  art,  he 
will  see  that  the  Greeks  suppressed  impassioned 
expression  only  to  bestow  the  highest  degree  of 
grace.  Those,  therefore,  who  complain  of  this, 
show  themselves  ignorant  of  the  best  object  of 
their  art. 

If  the  explanation  of  this  great  purpose  be  clearly 
borne  in  mind,  the  remaining  observations  of 
Winckelmann  will  receive  a  better  application  than 
that  to  which  he  limited  them  :  — 

"  Repose  and  tranquillity  may  be  regarded  as  the 
effect  of  that  composed  manner  which  the  Grecians 
studied  to  show  in  their  actions  and  gestures. 
Among  them,  a  hurried  gait  was  regarded  as  con- 
trary to  the  idea  of  decent  deportment,  and  parta- 
king somewhat  of  expressive  boldness.  .  .  While  on 
the  other  hand,  slow  and  regulated  motions  of  the 
body  were  proofs  among  the '  ancients  of  a  great 
mind. 

"  The  highest  idea  of  tranquillity  and  composure 
is  found  expressed  in  the  representations  of  the 
divinities.;  so  that  from  the  father  of  the  gods  to 
the  inferior  deities,  their  figures  appear  free  from 
the  influence  of  any  affection.  The  greatest  of  the 
po^ts  thus  describes  Jupiter  as  making  all  Olympus 
25* 


294  THE    GREEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY. 

tremble  by  merely  moving  his  eyebrow  or  shaking 
his  locks.  .  .  All  the  figures  of  Jupiter  are  not  how- 
ever made  in  the  same  style. 

/'The  Vatican  Apollo  represents  this  god  quiet 
and  tranquil  after  the  death  of  the  serpent  Python 
which  he  had  slain  with  a  dart,  and  should  also  ex- 
press a  certain  contempt  for  a  victory  so  easy  to 
him.  The  skilful  artist,  who  wished  to  imbody  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  gods,  has  depicted  anger  in 
the  nose,  which  according  to  the  most  ancient  poets 
was  the  seat  of  it,  and  contempt  in  the  lips :  con- 
tempt is  expressed  by  the  drawing  up  of  the  under 
lip,  and  anger  by  the  expansion  of  the  nostrils. 

"  The  expression  of  the  passions  in  the  face 
should  accord  with  the  attitude  and  gestures  of  the 
body  ;  and  the  latter  should  be  suitable  to  the  dig- 
nity of  the  gods  in  their  statues  and  figures :  from 
this  results  its  propriety. 

"  In  representing  the  figures  of  heroes,  the  an- 
cient artist  exercised  equal  care  and  judgment ;  and 
expressed  only  those  human  affections  which  are 
suitable  for  a  wise  man,  who  represses  the  violence 
of  his  passions,  and  scarcely  allows  a  spark  of  the 
internal  flame  to  be  seen,  so  as  to  leave  to  those 
who  are  desirous  of  it,  the  trouble  of  finding  out 
what  remains  concealed. 

"  We  have  examples  of  this  in  two  of  the  most 
beautiful  works  of  antiquity,  one  of  which  is  the 
image  of  the  fear  of  certain  death,  the  other  of 
suffering  exceeding  anguish. 

"  Niobe  and  her  daughters,  against  whom  Diana 
shot  her  fatal  arrows,  are  represented  as  seized  with 


THE    GEEEK   IDEAL    BEAUTY.  295 

terror  and  horror,  in  that  state  of  indescribable  an- 
guish, when  the  sight  of  instant  and  inevitable  death 
deprives  the  mind  of  the  power  of  thought.  Of 
this  state  of  stupor  and  insensibility,  the  fable  gives 
us  an  idea  in  the  metamorphosis  of  Niobe  into  a 
stone  ;  and  hence  -^schylus  introduces  her  in  his 
tragedy  as  stunned  and  speechless.  In  such  a  mo- 
ment, when  all  thought  and  feeling  ceases,  in  a  state 
bordering  upon  insensibility,  the  appearance  is  not 
altered  nor  any  feature  of  the  face  disturbed,  and 
the  mighty  artist  could  here  depict  the  most  sub- 
lime beauty,  and  has  indeed  done  so.  Niobe  and 
her  daughters  are,  and  ever  will  be,  the  most  per- 
fect models  of  beauty. 

"  Laocoon  is  the  image  of  the  most  acute  grief, 
that  puts  the  nerves,  the  muscles,  and  the  veins,  in 
action.  His  blood  is  in  a  state  of  extreme  agitation 
from  the  venomous  bite  of  the  serpents  ;  every  part 
of  his  body  evinces  pain  and  suffering ;  and  the 
artist  has  put  in  motion,  so  to  speak,  all  the  springs 
of  nature,  and  thus  made  known  the  extent  of  his 
art  and  the  depth  of  his  knowledge.  In  the  repre- 
sentation, however,  of  this  excessive  torment,  we' 
can  still  recognise  the  conduct  of  a  brave  man, 
struggling  against  his  misfortunes,  stifling  the  emo- 
tions of  his  anguish,  and  striving  to  repress  them." 

"  The  ancient  artists  have  preserved  this  air  of 
composure  even  in  their  dancing  figures,  except 
the  Bacchanals  ;  and  thus  an  opinion  obtained  that 
the  action  of  their  figures  should  be  modelled  on 
the  manners  adopted  in  their  ancient  dances,  and 
therefore,  in  their  later  dances,  the  ancient  figures 


296  THE    GEEEK   IDEAL   BEATTTY. 

served  as  a  model  to  the  performers  to  prevent  their 
overstepping  the  bounds  of  a  modest  deportment : 

Molli  diducunt  Candida  gestu 
Brachia.  Propert. 

"  No  immoderate  or  violent  passions  are  ever 
found  expressed  in  the  public  works  of  \^e  ancients. 

"  The  knowledge  of  the  ancients  cannot  be  better 
known  than  by  comparing  their  performances  with 
the  majority  of  those  of  the  moderns,  in  which  a 
little  is  expressed  by  much,  instead  of  much  by  a 
little.  This  is  what  the  Greeks  call  irapcveipaos ; 
a  word  that  aptly  expresses  the  defect  produced 
by  too  much  expression  in  modern  artists.  Their 
figures  resemble  in  action  the  comedians  of  the 
ancient  theatre,  who,  to  render  themselves  visible 
even  to  the  most  distant  portion  of  the  audience, 
were  compelled  to  exceed  the  limits  of  nature  and 
truth  ;  and  the  faces  of  modern  figures  are  like  the 
ancient  masks,  which  for  the  same  reason,  the  in- 
crease of  expression,  became  hideous. 

"  This  excess  of  expression  is  taught  in  a  book 
which  goes  into  the  hands  of  all  young  artists,  'A 
Treatise  on  the  Passions,'  by  Carlo  Le  Brun,  and 
in  the  annexed- drawings,  not  only  is  the  highest 
degree  of  passion  expressed  on  the  face,  but  in 
som€  even  to  madness." 

Hence,  we  may  say  with  Azara,  that  "the  Greeks 
possessed  that  art  in  such  perfection,  that  in  their 
statues  one  scarcely  discover*  that  they  had  thought 
of  expression,  and  nevertheless  each  says  that  which 
it  ought  to  say.    They  are  in  a  repose  which  shows 


THE    GREEK    IDEAL    BEAUTY.  297 

all  the  beauty  without  any  alteration ;  and  a  soft 
and  sweet  motion,  of  the  mouth,  the  eyes,  or  the 
mere  action,  expresses  the  effect,  enchanting  at 
once  the  mind  and  the  senses." 

In  the  inferior  beings,  however,  when  passion  is 
expressed,  the  features  are  varied  by  the  Greek 
artists  as  they  are  in  nature. 

Such  are  the  great  ideal  rules  with  regard  to  the 
head  and  the  functions  of  thought. 

With  regard  to  the  body  and  the  nutritive  sys- 
tem, the  Greeks  similarly  idealized.  "Seeking  for 
images  o{  worship,  consequently  of  a  nature  supe- 
rior to  our  o\vn,  so  that  they  might  awaken  in  the 
mind  veneration  and  love,  they  thought  that  the 
representations  most  worthy  of  the  Divinity,  and 
most  likely  to  attract  the  attention  of  man,  would 
be  those  expressing  the  continuance  of  the  gods  in 
eternal  youth  and  in  the  prime  of  life. 

"  To  the  idea  derived  from  the  poets,  of  the 
eternal  youth  of  the  deities,  whether  male  or  fe- 
male, was  added  another  by  which  they  supposed 
the  female  divinities  should  have  all  the  appearance 
of  virgins. 

"  The  form  of  the  breast  in  the  figures  of  the 
divinities,  is  like  that  of  a  virgin,  which,  to  be 
beautiful,  must  possess  a  moderate  fulness.  This 
was  particularly  shown  in  the  breasts,  which  the 
artists  represented  without  nipples,  like  those  of 
young  girls,  whose  cincture,  in  the  poet's  phrase, 
Lucina  has  not  yet  undone. 

On  their  treatment  of  the  limbs  and  locomotive 
SYSTEM,  Hogarth  throws  light ;  and,  as  I  am  not 


298  THE   GREEK   IDEAL   BEAtTTY. 

aware  that  he  was  anticipated  in  this  respect,  I 
quote  him : — 

"  May  be,"  he  says,  "  I  cannot  throw  a  stronger 
light  on  what  has  been  hitherto  said  of  proportion, 
than  by  animadverting  on  a  remarkable  beauty  in 
the  Apollo  Belvidere,  which  hath  given  it  the  pref- 
erence even  to  the  Antinous  :  I  mean  a  superaddi- 
tion  of  greatness,  to  at  least  as  much  beauty  and 
grace  as  is  found  in  the  latter. 

"  These  two  masterpieces  of  art  are  seen  to- 
gether in  the  same  apartment  at  Rome,  where  the 
Antinous  fills  the  spectator  with  admiration  only, 
while  the  Apollo  strikes  him  with  surprise,  and,  as 
travellers  express  themselves,  with  an  appearance 
of  something  more  than  human  ;  which  they  of 
.course  are  always  at  a  loss  to  describe :  and  this 
effect,  they  say,  is  the  more  astonishing,  as,  upon 
examination,  its  disproportion  is  evident  even  to  a 
common  eye.  One  of  the  best  sculptors  we  have 
in  England,  who  lately  went  to  see  them,  confirmed 
to  me  what  has  been  now  said,  particularly  as  to 
the  legs  and  thighs  being  too  long,  and  too  large 
for  the  upper  parts. 

"  Although,  in  very  great  works,  we  often  see  an 
inferior  part  neglected,  yet  here  it  cannot  be  the 
case,  because,  in  a  fine  statue,  just  proportion  is 
one  of  its  essential  beauties  :  therefore,  it  stands 
to  reason,  that  these  limbs  must  have  been  length- 
ened on  purpose,  otherwise  it  might  have  been 
easily  avoided. 

"  So  that  if  we  examine  the  beauties  of  this 
figure  thoroughly,  we  may  reasonably  conclude, 


THE    GREEK   IDEAL   BEAUTY.  299 

that  what  has  been  hitherto  thought  so  unaccount- 
ably excellent  in  its  general  appearance,  has  been 
owing  to  what  has  seemed  a  blemish  in  a  part  of  it : 
but  let  us  endeavor  to  make  this  matter  as  clear  as 
possible,  as  it  may  add  more  force  to  what  has 
been  said. 

*'  Statues,  by  being  bigger  than  life  (as  this  one 
is,  and  larger  than  the  Antinous),  always  gain  some 
nobleness  in  effect,  according  to  the  principle  of 
quantity,  but  this  alone  is  not  sufficient  to  give 
what  is  properly  to  be  called  greatness  in  propor- 
tion. .  .Greatness  of  proportion  must  be  considered 
as  depending  on  the  application  of  quantity  to  those 
parts  of  the  body  where  it  can  give  more  scope  to 
its  grace  in  movement,  as  to  the  neck  for  the  larger 
and  swanlike  turns  of  the  head,  and  to  the  legs  and 
thighs,  for  the  more  ample  sway  of  all  the  upper 
parts  together. 

"  By  which  we  find  that  the  Antinous  being 
equally  magnified  to  the  Apollo's  height,  would  not 
sufficiently  produce  that  superiority  of  effect,  as  to 
greatness,  so  evidently  seen  in  the  latter.  The 
additions  necessary  to  the  production  of  this  great- 
ness in  proportion,  as  it  there  appears  added  to 
grace,  must  then  be,  by  the  proper  application  of 
them  to  the  parts  mentioned  only. 

"  I  know  not  how  farther  to  prove  this  matter 
than  by  appealing  to  the  reader's  eye,  and  common 
observation,  as  before.  .  .  The  Antinous  being  al- 
lowed to  have  the  justest  proportion  possible,  let 
us  see  what  addition,  upon  the  principle  of  quanti- 


300  THE    GREEK    IDEAL    BEAUTY. 

ty,  can  be  made  to  it,  without  taking  away  any  of 
its  beauty. 

"  If  we  imagine  an  addition  of  dimensions  to  the 
head,  we  shall  immediately  conceive  it  would  only 
deform  —  if  to  the  hands  or  feet,  we  are  sensible  of 
something  gross  and  ungenteel  —  if  to  the  whole 
lengths  of  the  arms,  we  feel  they  would  be  dan- 
gling and  awkward  —  if,  by  an  addition  of  length  or 
breadth  to  the  body,  we  know  it  would  appear  heavy 
and  clumsy  —  there  remains  then  only  the  neck, 
with  the  legs  and  thighs  to  speak  of ;  but  to  these 
we  find,  that  not  only  certain  additions  may  be  ad- 
mitted without  causing  any  disagreeable  effect,  but 
that  thereby  greatness,  the  last  perfection  as  to  the 
proportion,  is  given  to  the  human  form,  as  is  evi- 
dently expressed  in  the  Apollo." 

This  is  well  done  by  Hogarth.  It  required  but 
a  little  anatomical  knowledge  to  see  the  reason  of 
this.  The  length  of  the  neck,  by  which  the  head 
is  farther  detached  from  the  trunk,  shows  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  higher  intellectual  system  upon 
the  lower  one  of  mere  nutrition  ;  and  the  length  of 
limbs  shows  that  the  mind  had  ready  obedience  in 
locomotive  power. 

I  have  now  to  obviate  some  objections  to  the 
existence  of  simple,  pure,  high,  and  perfect  ideal 
beauty,  objections,  which  writers  on  this  subject 
have  hitherto  neglected, 

Alison  says:  "The  proportions  of  the  form  of 
the  infant  are  very  different  from  those  of  youth ; 
these  again  from  those  of  manhood  ;  and  these 
again  perhaps  still  more  from  those  of  old  age  and 


THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAUTY.  301 

decay.  .  .  Yet  every  one  knows,  not  only  that 
each  of  these  periods  is  susceptible  of  beautiful 
form,  but,  what  is  much  more,  that  the  actual  beau- 
ty in  every  period  consists  in  the  preservation  of 
the  proportions  peculiar  to  that  period,  and  that 
these  differ  in  every  article  almost  from  those  that 
are  beautiful  in  other  periods  of  the  life  of  the  same 
individual." 

But  the  beauty  of  the  infant  is  not  perfect  beau- 
ty :  it  is  that,  on  the  contrary,  of  mere  promise, 
not  that  of  fulfilment.  So  also  the  beauty  of  old 
age  is  not  perfect  beauty :  it  is  that,  on  the  con- 
trary, which  affects  and  interests  us  chiefly  by  the 
regret  we  feel  that  its  perfection  has  passed,  or  is 
gradually  vanishing. 

"  The  same  observation,"  says  Alison,  "  is  yet 
still  more  obvious  with  regard  to  the  difference  of 
sex.  In  every  part  of  the  form,  the  proportions 
which  are  beautiful  in  the  two  sexes  are  different ; 
and  the  application  of  the  proportions  of  the  one 
to  the  form  of  the  other,  is  everywhere  felt  as 
painful  and  disgusting."  So  also  says  Burke : 
"Let  us  rest  a  moment  on  this  point;  and  consider 
how  much  difference  there  is  between  the  meas- 
ures that  prevail  in  many  similar  parts  of  the  body, 
in  the  two  sexes  of  this  single  species  only.  If 
you  assign  any  determinate  proportions  to  the 
limbs  of  man,  and  if  you  limit  human  beauty  to 
these  proportions,  when  you  find  a  woman  who 
differs  in  the  make  and  measure  of  almost  every 
part,  you  must  conclude  her  not  to  be  beautiful  in 
spite  of  the  suggestions  of  your  imagination ;  or 
26 


302  "  THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAUTY. 

in  obedience  to  your  imagination  you  must  re- 
nounce your  rules  ;  you  must  lay  by  the  scale  and 
compass,  and  look  out  for  some  other  cause  of 
beauty.  For,  if  beauty  be  attached  to  certain 
measures  which  operate  from  a  principle  in  nature, 
why  should  similar  parts  with  different  measures 
of  proportion  be  found  to  have  beauty,  and  this, 
too,  in  the  very  same  species  V 

To  this  r might  say  the  beauty  of  woman. is  not 
the  highest  beauty :  it  is  beauty  of  the  nutritive 
more  than  of  the  higher  thinking  system.  But 
there  is  another  and  a  better  answer :  the  differ- 
ence of  sex  which  affects  all  the  higher  animals  is 
a  greater  difference  than  that  which  subsists  be- 
tween some  of  their  varieties  or  even  of  their  spe- 
cies ;  and  the  same  laws  of  ideal  beauty  are  as 
inapplicable  to  different  sexes  as  to  different  spe- 
cies. 

"  We  see,  every  day,  around  us,"  says  Alison, 
"  some  forms  of  our  species  which  affect  us  with 
sentiments  of  beauty.  In  our  own  sex,  we  see  the 
forms  of  the  legislator,  the  man  of  rank,  the  gen- 
eral, the  man  of  science,  the  private  soldier,  the 
sailor,  the  laborer,  the  beggar,  &c.  In  the  other 
sex,  we  see  the  forms  of  the  matron,  the  Avidow, 
the  young  woman,  the  nurse,  the  domestic  servant, 
&c.  .  .  We  expect  different  proportions  of  form 
from  the  painter,  in  his  representation  of  a  warrior 
and  a  shepherd,  of  a  senator  and  of  a  peasant,  of  a 
wrestler  and  a  boatman,  of  a  savage  and  of  a  man 
of  cultivated  manners.  .  .  We  expect,  in  the 
same  manner,  from  the  statuary,  very  different  pro- 


THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAUTY.  303 

portions  in  the  forms  of  Jove  and  of  Apollo  [this 
should  have  been  excepted],  of  Hercules  and  of 
Antinous,  of  a  Grace  and  of  Andromache,  of  a 
Bacchanal  and  of  Minerva,"  &c. 

That,  in  all  these  cases,  the  beauty  is  partial,  is 
evident  from  the  circumstance  that  what  is  found 
in  one  is  wanting  in  another  ;  and  partial  beauty  is 
not  perfect  beauty.  But  this  last  point  has  been 
well  stated  by  Reynolds  and  Barry. 

"To  the  principle  I  have  laid  down,"  says  Rey- 
nolds, "  that  the  idea  of  beauty  in  each  species  of 
being  is  an  invariable  one,it  maybe  objected,  that 
in  every  particular  species  there  are  various  cen- 
tral forms  which  are  separate  and  distinct  from 
each  other,  and  yet  are  undeniably  beautiful ;  that 
in  the  human  figure,  for  instance,  the  beauty  of 
Hercules  is  one,  of  the  Gladiator  another,  of  the 
Apollo  another  [again  the  .  same  error]  ;  which 
makes  so  many  different  ideas  of  beauty.  .  .  It 
is  true,  indeed,  that  these  figures  are  each  perfect 
in  their  kind,  though  of  different  character  and 
proportions;  but  still  none  of  them  is  the  repre- 
sentation of  an  individual,  but  of  a  class.  And  as 
there  is  one  general  form,  which,  as  I  have  said, 
belongs  to.  the  human  kind  at  large,  so  in  each  of 
these  classes  there  is  one  common  idea  and  cen- 
tral form,  which  is  the  abstract  of  the  various  indi- 
vidual forms  belonging  to  that  class.  Thus,  though 
the  forms  of  childhood  and  age  differ  exceedingly, 
there  is  a  common  form  in  childhood,  and  a  com- 
mon form  in  age,  which  is  the  more  perfect,  as  it 
is  more  remote  from  all  peculiarities.     But  I  must 


304  THE  GREEK  IDEAL  BEAUTY. 

add  farther,  that  though  the  most  perfect  forms  of 
each  of  the  general  divisions  of  the  human  figure 
are  ideal,  and  superior  to  any  individual  form  of 
that  class,  yet  the  highest  perfection  of  the  human 
figure  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  one  of  them.  It 
is  not  in  the  Hercules,  nor  in  the  Gladiator,  nor  in 
the  Apollo,  but  in  that  form  which  is  taken  from 
all,  and  which  partakes  equally  of  the  activity  of 
the  Gladiator,  of  the  delicacy  of  the  Apollo,  and 
of  the  muscular  strength  of  the  Hercules.  For 
perfect  beauty  in  any  species  must  combine  all  the 
characters  which  are  beautiful  in  that  species.  It 
cannot  consist  in  any  one  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
rest :  no  one,  therefore,  must  be  predominant,  that 
no  one  may  be  deficient." 

"  A  high  degree  of  particular  character,"  says 
Barry,  "  cannot  be  superinduced  upon  pure  or 
simple  beauty  without  altering  its  constituent  parts ; 
this  is  peculiar  to  grace  only ;  for  particular  char- 
acters consist,  as  has  been  observed  before,  in  those 
deviations  from  the  general  standard  for  the  better 
purpose  of  effecting  utility  and  power,  and  become 
so  many  species  of  a  higher  order  ;  where  nature 
is  elevated  into  grandeur,  majesty,  and  sublimity." 

There  is  an  ideal  in  attitude  as  well  as  in  the 
form  of  the  head  and  body. 

This  ideal  is  exactly  opposed  to  the  academical 
rule  mentioned  by  Dufresnoy,  Reynolds,  and  others, 
namely,  that  the  right  leff  and  left  arm,  or  the  left 
leg  and  right  arm,  should  be  advanced  or  with- 
drawn together.  These  are  the  mere  attitudes  of 
progression,   not   those    of    expression  j    and   the 


THE    GREEK    IDEAL    BEAUT-V.  '305 

academical  rule  is  only  an  academical  blunder 
To  anything  but  walking  —  to  the  free  and  unem- 
barrassed expressions  of  the  body,  it  is,  indeed, 
quite  inapplicable,  and  could  produce  only  con- 
tortion. 

The  rule  of  ideal  attitude,  which  I  long  ago  de- 
duced, both  from  physiological  principles,  and  from 
the  practice  of  the  Greek  artists,  is  that  all  the 
parts  of  one  side  of  the  body  should  be  advanced 
or  Avithdrawn  together  ;  that  when  one  side  is  ad- 
vanced, the  other  should  be  withdrawn ;  and  that 
when  the  right  arm  is  elevated,  extended,  or  bent 
forward,  the  left  leg  should  be  elevated,  extended, 
or  bent  backward  —  in  all  respects  the  reverse  of 
the  academical  rule,  so  complacently  mentioned  by 
Dufresnoy,  Reynolds,  &c. 

The  foundation  of  this  rule  in  the  necessary  bal- 
ance of  the  body,  and  that  distribution  of  motion 
which  equally  animates  every  part,  must  be  obvious 
to  every  one.  It  is  illustrated  by  the  finest  statues 
of  the  Greeks,  wherever  the  expression  intended 
was  free  and  unembarrassed,  and  even  in  those,  as 
the  Laocoon  and  his  sons,  where,  though  the  ac- 
tion was  constrained  and  convulsive,  the  sculptor 
was  yet  at  liberty  to  employ  the  most  beautiful  at- 
titude. It  is  abandoned  in  these  great  works, 
when  either  action  embarrassed  by  purpose,  or 
clownishness,  as  in  the  Dancing  Faun,  are  ex- 
pressed.* 


*  This  rule  is  well  explained,  and  variously  illustrated  by  Donald 
Walker,  in  his  work,  equally  philosophical,  instructive,  and  amu* 

26 


306  THE   GREEK  IDEAL   BEATTTT. 

I  have  now  only  to  add,  with  Moreau,  that  in- 
dividual beauty,  the  most  perfect,  differs  always 
greatly  from  the  ideal,  and  that  which  is  least  re- 
moved from  it,  is  very  difficult  to  be  found.  Hence, 
in  all  languages,  the  epithet  rare  is  attached  to 
beauty ;  and  the  Italians  even  call  it  pellegrina^ 
foreign,  to  indicate  that  they  have  not  frequently 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  it :  they  speak  of  "  bel- 
lezze  pellegrine,^^  —  "  leggiadria  singolare  e  pelle- 
grina.^^ 

sing,  entitled  "  Exercises  for  Ladies,"  a  knowledge  of  which,  and 
the  practice  of  its  principles,  would  render  beauty,  and  especially 
beauty  of  the  shoulders  and  arms,  far  more  common  in  every 
family. 


THE  IDEAL   OF  FEMALE  BEATJTY.  307 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    IDEAL   OF   FEMALE   BEAUTY. 
"  Hominum  divOmque  voluptas,  alma  Venus." 

Of  this,  the  most  perfect  models  have  heen 
created  by  Grecian  art.  Few,  we  are  told,  were 
the  living  beauties,  from  whom  such  ideal  model 
could  be  framed.  The  difficulty  of  finding  these 
among  the  women  of  Greece,  must  have  been  con- 
siderable, when  Praxiteles  and  Apelles  were  obliged 
to  have  recourse,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to 
the  same  person,  for  the  beauties  of  the  Venus  of 
Cnidos,  executed  in  white  marble,  and  the  Venus 
of  Cos,  painted  in  colors.  It  is  asserted  by  Athe- 
naeus,  that  both  these  productions  were,  in  some 
measure,  taken  from  Phryne  of  Thespia,  in  BcEOtia, 
then  a  courtesan  at  Athens. 

Both  productions  are  said  to  have  represented 
Phryne  coming  out  of  the  sea,  on  the  beach  of 
Sciron,  in  the  Saronic  gulf,  between  Athens  and 
Eleusis,  where  she  was  wont  to  bathe. 

It  is  said,  that  there,  at  the  feast  of  Neptune, 
Phryne,  in  the  presence  of  the  people  of  Eleusis, 
having  cast  aside  her  dress,  and  allowing  her  long 
hair  to  fall  over  her  shoulders,  plunged  into  the 


308  THE   IDEAL   OF   FEMALE    BEAUTY. 

sea,  and  sported  long  amid  its  waves.  An  immense 
number  of  spectators  covered  the  shore  ;  arid  when 
she  came  out  of  it,  all  exclaimed,  "It  is  Venus  who 
rises  from  the  waters!"  The  people  would  actually 
have  taken  her  for  the  goddess,  if  she  had  not  been 
well  known  to  them. 

Apelles  and  Praxiteles,  we  are  told,  were  both 
upon  the  shore  j  and  both  resolved  to  represent 
the  birth  of  Venus  according  to  the  beautiful  model 
which  they  had  just  beheld. 

Such  is  said  to  have  been  the  origin  of  two  of 
the  greatest  works  of  antiquity.  The  work  of 
Apelles,  known  under  the  name  of  Venus  Anady- 
omene,  was  placed  by  Cesar  in  the  temple  of  Venus 
Genitrix,  after  the  conquest  of  Greece.  An  idea 
of  the  sculpture  of  Praxiteles  is  supposed  to  have 
been  imperfectly  preserved  to  modern  times  in  the 
Venus  de  Medici. 

We  are  farther  told,  that,  after  having  studied 
several  attitudes,  Phryne  fancied  to  have  discover- 
ed one  more  favorable  than  the  rest  for  displaying 
all  her  perfections ;  and  that  both  painter  and 
sculptor  were  obliged  to  adopt  her  favorite  posture. 
From  this  cause,  the  Venus  of  Cnidos,  and  the 
Venus  of  Cos,  were  so  perfectly  alike,  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  remark  any  difference  in  their  features, 
contour,  or  more  particularly  in  their  attitude. 

The  painting  of  Apelles,  it  is  added,  was  far  from 
exciting  so  much  enthusiasm  among  the  Greeks, 
as  the  sculpture  of  Praxiteles.  They  fancied  that 
the  marble  moved  ;  that  it  seemed  to  speak ;  and 
their  illusion,  says  Lucian,  was  so  great,  that  they 


THE   IDEAL   OF   FEMALE   BEAUTY.  309 

ended  by  applying  their  lips  to  those  of  the  god- 
dess.* 

"  Praxiteles,"  says  Flaxman,  "  excelled  in  the 
highest  graces  of  youth  and  beauty.  He  is  said  to 
have  excelled  not  only  other  sculptors,  but  himself, 
by  his  marble  statues  in  the  Ceramicus  of  Athens  j 
but  his  Venus  was  preferable  to  all  others  in  the 
world,  and  many  sailed  to  Cnidos  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  it.  This  sculptor  having  made  two  stat- 
ues of  Venus,  one  with  drapery,  the  other  without, 
the  Coans  preferred  the  clothed  figure,  on  account 
of  its  severe  modesty,  the  same  price  being  set 
upon  each.  The  citizens  of  Cnidos  took  the  re- 
jected statue,  and  afterward  refused  it  to  King 
Nicomedes,  who  would  have  forgiven  them  an 
immense  debt  in  return ;  but  they  were  resolved  to 
suffer  anything  so  long  as  this  statue  by  Praxiteles 
ennobled  Cnidos.  .  .  .  This  figure  is  known  by  the 
descriptions  of  Lucian  and  Cedrenus,  and  it  is  rep- 
resented on  a  medal  of  Caracalla  and  Plautilla,  in 
the  imperial  cabinet  of  France.  This  Venus  was 
still  in  Cnidos  during  the  reign  of  the  emperor 
Alcadius,  about  four  hundred  years  after  Christ. 


•  It  was  at  the  extremity  of  the  modem  Cape  Crio,  anciently 
Triopium,  a  promontory  of  Doris,  a  province  of  Caria,  that  was 
built  the  celebrated  city  of  Cnidos.  Here  Venus  was  worshipped: 
here  was  seen  this  statue  of  that  goddess^  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
works  of  Praxiteles.  A  temple,  far  from  spacious,  and  open  on 
all  sides,  contained  it,  without  concealing  it  from  view  ;  and,  in 
whatever  point  of  view  it  was  examined,  it  excited  equal  admira- 
tion. No  drapery  veiled  its  charms ;  and  so  uncommon  was  its 
beauty,  that  it  inflamed  with  a  violent  passion  einother  Pygmalion. 


310  THE   IDEAL   OF   FEMALE    BEAUTY. 

■This  statue  seems  to  offer  the  first  idea  of  the 
Venus  de  Medici,  which  is  likely  to  be  the  repe- 
tition of  another  Venus,  the  work  of  this  artist." 
He  elsewhere  says  of  the  Venus  of  Praxiteles,  it 
was  "  the  most  admired  female  statue  of  all  an- 
tiquity, whose  beauty  is  as  perfect  as  it  is  elevated, 
and  as  innocent  as  perfect ;  from  which  the  Medi- 
cean  Venus  seems  but  a  deteriorated  variety." 

Flaxman  states  that  he  himself  had  seen,  in  the 
stables  of  the  Braschi  palace,  a  statue  which  he 
supposed  might  be  the  original  work  of  Praxiteles. 
Strange  to  tell,  nothing  is  jiovt,known  of  its  fate  ! 
A  supposed  cast  from  this,''o'r  Trojp  a  copy  of  it, 
conforming  to  the  figure  on  tl|^inodel  of  Caracalla, 
is  to  be  seen  at  the  Eoyal  Academy.  ~ 

Of  the  Venus  de  Medici,  Flaxman  says,  it  "  was 
so  much  a  favorite  of  the  Greeks  and  Komans,  that 
a  hundred  ancient  repetitions  of  this  statue  have 
been  noticed  by  travellers.  The  individual  figure 
is  said  to  have  been  found  in  the  forum  of  Octavia. 
The  style  of  sculpture  seems  to  have  been  later 
than  Alexander  the  Great. 

Let  us  now  briefly  examine  this  Model  of  Female 
.Beauty. 

The  Venus  de  Medici  represents  woman  at  that 
age  when  every  beauty  has  just  been  perfected 
"  The  Venus  de  Medici  at  Florence,"  says  Winckel- 
mann,  "  is  like  a  rose  which,  after  a  beautiful  day- 
break, expands  its  leaves  to  the  first  ray  of  the  sun, 
and  represents  that  age  when  the  limbs  assume  a 
more  finished  form  and  the  breast  begins  to  devel- 
op itself." 


THE    IDEAL    OF    FEMALE    BEAUTY:  311 

The  size  of  the  head  is  sufficiently  small  to  leave 
that  predominance  to  the  vital  organs  in  the  chest, 
which,  as  already  said,  makes  the  nutritive  system 
peculiarly  that  of  woman.  This  is  the  first  and 
most  striking  proof  of  the  profound  knowledge  of 
the  artist,  the  principles  of  whose  art  taught  him 
that  the  vast  head,  on  the  contrary,  was  the  char- 
acteristic of  a  very  different  female  personage*  — 
In  mentioning  the  head,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
avoid  noticing  the  rich  curls  of  the  hair. 

The  eyes  next  fix  our  attention  by  their  soft, 
Bweet,  and  glad  expression.  This  is  produced  with 
exquisite  art.  To  give  softness,  the  ridges  of  the 
eyebrows  are  rounded.  To  give  sweetness,  the 
under  eyelid,  which  I  would  call  the  expressive 
one,  is  slightly  raised.  "The  eyes  of  Venus,"  says 
Winckelmann,  "  are  smaller,  and  the  slight  eleva- 
tion of  the  lower  eyelid  produces  that  languishing 
look  called  by  the  Greeks  iypdi/."  To  give  the  ex- 
pression of  gladness  or  of  pleasure,  the  opening  of 
the  eyelids  is  diminished,  in  order  to  diminish,  or 
partially  to  exclude,  the  excess  of  those  impres- 
sions, which  make  even  pleasure  painful.  Other 
exquisite  details  about  those  eyes,  confer  on  them 
unparalleled  beauty.  Still,  as  observed  by  the  same 


•  The  pbrenologists  have  told  us  that  the  head  of  this  Venus  is 
too  small.  They  might  as  well  have  said,  that  the  head  of  the 
Minerva,  or  of  the_  Jupiter,  is  too  large,  or  a  hundred  other  ignor- 
ant inapplicabilities,  and  ridiculous  pedantries.  But  to  set  aside 
ideal  forms,  I  may  observe,  that  sex  makes  a  vast  difference  in  the 
head,  and  a  woman  with  a  small  head  often  produces  a  son  with  a 
large  one. 


312  THE    IDEAL   OF   FEMALE    BEAUTY. 

writer,  this  look  is  far  from  those  traits  indicative 
of  lasciviousness,  with  which  some  modern  artists 
have  thought  to  characterize  their  Ven uses.  Love 
was  considered  hy  the  ancient  masters,  as  by  the 
wise  philosophers  of  those  times,  to  use  the  expres- 
sion of  Euripides,  as  the  counsellor  of  wisdom : 
rrj  ao<pia  napiipbs  ipona;.  One  thing  must  be  observcd : 
there  is  not  here,  as  in  some  less  happy  represent- 
ations of  Venus,  any  downcast  look,  but  that  aspect 
of  which  Metastasio,  in  his  Inno  a  Venere,  says  : 

■  "  Tu  coUe  lucide 
Pupille  chiare, 
Fai  lieta  e  fertile 
La  terra  e'l  mare." 


And  again ; 


"  Presto  a  tuoi  placidi 
Astri  ridenti, 
Le  nubi  fuggono, 
Fuggono  i  venti."* 


Art  still  profounder  was  perhaps  shown  in  the 
configuration  of  the  nose.  The  peculiar  connexion 
of  this  sense  with  love  was  evidently  well  under- 
stood by  the  great  artist ;  and  it  is  only  gross  ig- 
norance that  has  made  some  persons  question  the 
appropriateness  of  that  development  of  the  organ 
which  is  here  represented.  Not  only  is  smell  pecu- 
liarly associated  with  love,  in  all  the  higher  ani- 


•  This  is  beautiful,  but  is  evidently  borrowed  from  the  great 
philosophical  poet's 

"  Te,  Dea,  te  fugiunt  ventei,  te  nubila  coeli, 
Adventumque  tuum." 


THE   IDEAL   OF   FEMALE   BEAXTTY.  313 

mals,  but  it  is  associated  with  reproduction  ih 
plants,  the  majority  of  which  evolve  delicious  odors 
only  when  the  flowers  or  organs  of  fructification. 
are  displayed.*  —  Connected,  indeed,  with  the  ca- 
pacity of  the  nose,  and  the  cavities  which  open  into 
it,  is  the  projection  of  the  whole  middle  part  of  the 
face. 

In  the  mouth,  also,  is  transcendent  art  displayed. 
It  is  rendered  sweet  and  delicate  by  the  lips  being 
undeveloped  at  their  angles,!  and  by  the  upper 
lip  continuing  so,  for  a  considerable  portion  of 
its  length.  It  expresses  love  of  pleasure  by  the 
central  development  of  both  lips,  and  active  love 
by  the  especial  development  of  the  lower  lip.J  By 
the  slight  opening  of  the  lips,  it  expresses  desire.§ 
These  exquisite  details,  and  the  omission  of 
nothing  intellectually  expressive  that  nature  pre- 
sents, have  led  some  to  imagine  the  Venus  de 
Medici  to  be  a  portrait.  In  doing  so,  however,  they 
see  not  the  profound  calculation  required  for  near- 
ly every  feature  thus  imbodied.  More  strangely 
still,  they  forget  the  ideal  character  of  the  whole : 
the  notion  of  this  ideal  head  being  too  small,  is 


*  That,  in  plants,  these  odors  are  even  necessary  to  their  repro- 
duction, is  proved  by  their  uniform  existence  at  that  period.  And 
if  being  affected  by  odors  implies  a  sense  of  smell,  or  some  modi- 
fication of  it,  then  must  plants  possess  it. 

t  In  all  grossly  sensual  nations  aiid  individuals,  the  lips  are 
everted  even  at  the  angles. 

:j:  See  this  explained  in  "  Physiognomy." 

§  "  Venere  suol  tenere  alquanto  aperte  le  labbra,  come  per  indl- 
care  un  languido  desiderio  ed  amore." — Storia  delle  Arti. 

27 


814  THE   IDEAL    OF   FEMALE   BEAUTY. 

elSpecially  opposed  to  such  an  opinion.  If  more  is 
wanting,  it  will  surely  be  enough  that  the  other 
works  which  we  are  supposed  to  possess  of  Prax- 
iteles, the  Faun  and  the  Cupid,  present  similar  fine 
details.* 

Withal,  the  look  is  amorous  and  languishing, 
without  being  lascivious,  and  is  as  powerfully 
marked  by  gay  coquetry,  as  by  charming  inno- 
cence. 

The  young  neck  is  exquisitely  formed.  Its  beau- 
tiful curves  show  a  thousand  capabilities  of  motion  ; 
and  its  admirably-calculated  swell  over  the  organ 
of  voice,  results  from,  and  marks,  the  struggling 
expression  of  still  mysterious  love. 

In  short,  I  know  no  antique  figure  that  displays 
such  profound  knowledge,  both  physiological  and 
physiognomical,  even  in  the  most  minute  details  ; 
and  all  who    are   capable    of   appreciating    these 


*  In  the  Cupid,  the  form  of  the  head  is  godlike.  The  hair  not 
only  curls  with  all  the  vigor  of  early  years,  but,  with  perfect  krfowl- 
edge  of  nature's  tendency,  is  bent  into  a  ridge  along  the  middle  of 
the  upper  head*  The  brow,  full,  open,  and  charmingly  rounded,  is 
the  evident  throne  of  young  observation,  and  it  flows  wth  such 
beauty  into  the  parts  behind,  as  if  it  actually  said  its  purpose  was 
to  fling  its  observations  back  on  thought  and  will.  Its  beginnings 
at  the  eyebrows  display  exquisite  knowledge :  the  bony  ridge  is  ad- 
mirably shown  to  be  yet  unformed  ;  and  while  its  outer  extremity 
forms  but  the  orbital  convexity^  or  shell  for  the  globe  of  the  eye, 
the  inner  extremity  of  the  eyebrow  is  with  infinite  art  drawn  over 
soft  and  hollow  space,  as  if  the  few  hairs  that  composed  it  made 
there  its  only  convexity.  In  short,  in  every  part  of  the  face,  fine 
and  faint  as  is  every  youthful  feature,  no  detail  is  lost ;  and  this, 
added  to  the  pointed  chin  and  upper  lip,  declare  the  purpose  of 
the  little  god. 


THE    IDEAL    OF    FEMALE    BEAUTY.  315 

things,  may  well  smile  at  those  who  pretend  to 
compare  with  this  any  other  head  of  Venus  now 
known  to  us. 

With  regard  to  the  rest  of  the  figure,  the  admi- 
rable form  of  the  mammae,  which,  without  being 
too  large,  occupy  the  bosom,  rise  from  it  with  va- 
rious curves  on  every  side,  and  all  terminate  in 
their  apices,  leaving  the  inferior  part  in  each  pre- 
cisely as  pendent  as  gravity  demands ;  the  flexile 
waist  gently  tapering  little  farther  than  the  middle 
of  the  trunk ;  the  lower  portion  of  it  beginning 
gradually  to  swell  out  higher  even  than  the  umbili- 
cus ;  the  gradual  expansion  of  the  haunches,  those 
expressive  characteristics  of  the  female,  indicating 
at  once  her  fitness  for  the  office  of  generation  and 
that  of  parturition  —  expansions  w^hich  increase  till 
they  reach  their  greatest  extent  at  the  superior  part 
of  the  thighs ;  the  fulness  behind  their  upper  part, 
and  on  each  side  of  the  lower  part  of  the  spine, 
commencing  as  high  as  the  waist,  and  terminating 
in  the  still  greater  swell  of  the  distinctly-separated 
hips  J  the  flat  expanse  between  these,  and  immedi- 
ately over  the  fissure  of  the  hips,  relieved  by  a  con- 
siderable dimple  on  each  side,  and  caused  by  the 
elevation  of  all  the  surrounding  parts  5  the  fine 
swell  of  the  broad  abdomen  which,  soon  reaching 
its  greatest  height,  immediately  under  the  umbili- 
cus, slopes  gently  to  the  mons  veneris,  but,  narrow 
at  its  upper  part,  expands  more  widely  as  it  de- 
scends, while,  throughout,  it  is  laterally  distin- 
guished by  a  gentle  depression  from  the  more  mus- 
cular parts  on  the  sides  of  the  pelvis;  the  beautiful 


316  THE    IDEAL    OF   FEMALE    BEAUTY. 

elevation  of  the  mons  veneris  j  the  contiguous  ele- 
vation of  the  thighs  which,  ahnost  at  their  com- 
mencement, rise  as  high  as  it  does ;  the  admirable 
expansion  of  these  bodies  inward,  or  toward  each 
other,  by  which  they  almost  seem  to  intrude  upon 
each  other,  and  to  exclude  each  from  its  respective 
place ;  the  general  narrowness  of  the  upper,  and 
the  unembraceable  expansion  of  the  lower  part  thus 
exquisitely  formed; — all  these  admirable  charac- 
teristics of  female  form,  the  mere  existence  of 
which  in  woman  must,  one  is  tempted  to  imagine, 
be,  even  to  herself,  a  source  of  ineffable  pleasure  — 
these  constitute  a  being  worthy,  as  the  personifica- 
tion of  beauty,  of  occupying  the  temples  of  Greece ; 
present  an  object  finer,  alas !  than  nature  seems 
even  capable  of  producing  ;  and  offer  to  all  nations 
and  ages  a  theme  of  admiration  and  delight. 
Well  might  Thomson  say:  — 

"  So  stands  the  statue  that  enchants  the  world, 
So  bending  tries  to  veil  the  matchless  boast, 
The  mingled  beauties  of  exulting  Greece." 

And  Byron,  in  yet  higher  strain  :  — 

"  There,  too,  the  goddess  loves  in  stone,  and  fills 

The  air  around  with  beauty ; 

within  the  pale 

We  stand,  and  in  that  form  and  face  behold 

What  Mind  can  make,  when  Nature's  self  would  fail; 

And  to  the  fond  idolaters  of  old 
Envy  the  innate  flash  which  such  a  soul  could  mould : 

We  gaze  and  turn  away,  and  know  not  where, 
Dazzled  and  drunk  with  beauty,  till  the  heart 
Reels  with  its  fulness  ;  there  —  for  ever  there  — 
Chained  to  the  chariot  of  triumphal  Art, 
We  stand  as  captives,  and  would  not  depart." 


THE    IDEAL   OF   FEMALE    BEAUTY.  317 

PROPORTIONS  OF  THE  VENUS  DE  IIESICI.  ■'•! 

Has  seven  heads,  seven  parts,  and  three  minutes  in  height. 

From  the  top  of  the  head  to  the  root  of  the  hair,  three 
parts. 

From  the  root  of  the  hair  to  the  eyebrows,  three  parts. 

From  the  eyebrows  to  the  bottom  of  the  nose,  three  parts. 

From  the  bottom  of  the  nose,  to  that  of  the  chin,  three 
parts. 

From  the  bottom  of  the  chin  to  the  depression  between  the 
clavicles,  four  parts,  three  minutes  and  a  half. 

From  the  depression  between  the  clavicles  to  the  lowest 
part  of  the  breast,  ten  parts,  five  minutes. 

From  the  lowest  part  of  the  breast  to  the  middle  of  the 
navel,  eight  parts,  three  minutes. 

From  the  middle  of  the  navel  to  the  base  of  the  belly  and 
beginning  of  the  thighs,  eleven  parts,  four  minutes 
and  a  half. 

From  the  bottom  of  the  belly  to  the  middle  of  the  knee- 
pan,  eighteen  parts,  two  minutes. 

From  the  middle  of  the  kneepan  to  the  beginning  of  the 
flank,  twenty-seven  parts,  three  minutes. 

From  the  middle  of  the  kneepan  to  the  ground,  twenty- 
five  parts,  three  minutes. 

The  greatest  height  of  the  foot,  three  parts,  five  minutes 
and  a  half. 

From  the  neck  of  the  leg  to  the  end  of  the  toes,  nine  parts 
and  half  a  minute. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  humerus  to  the  elbow, 
twenty  parts,  two  minutes. 

From  the  elbow  to  the  beginning  of  the  hand,  fourteen 
parts. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  forearm,  five  parts. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  arm,  four  parts,  fire  minutes. 

From  the  depression  between  the  clavicles  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  deltoid,  six  parts,  four  minutes. 
27* 


318  THE   IDEAL   OF   FEMALE   BEATTTY. 

From  the  depression  between  the  clavicles  to  the  point  of 
the  nipple,  ten  parts  and  half  a  minute. 

Between  the  points  of  the  nipples,  eleven  parts,  two  min- 
utes. 

The  breadth  of  the  torso,  at  the  level  of  the  lowest  part 
of  the  breast,  fifteen  parts,  four  minutes  and  a  half. 

The  least  breadth  of  the  torso,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  flanks,  fourteen  parts,  one  minute. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  torso,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
flanks,  seventeen  parts,  five  minutes. 

The  breadth  from  the  trochanter  of  one  thigh  to  that  of 
the  other,  nineteen  parts,  three  minutes. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  thigh,  nine  parts,  five  min- 
utes. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  knee,  six  parts. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  calf  of  the  leg,  six  parts, 
three  minutes  and  a  half. 

The  breadth  from  one  ankle  to  another,  four  parts. 

The  least  breadth  of  the  foot,  three  parts,  three  minutes 
and  a  half 

The  greatest  breadth  of  the  foot,  five  parts  and  one  min- 
ute. 

The  arms  of  the  Venus  de  Medici,  it  should  be 
observed,  are  of  modern  construction,  and  unwor- 
thy of  the  figure. 

The  Venus  of  Naples  is  of  altogether  a  different 
species  of  beauty. 

That  figure  represents  an  ample  and  rather  vo- 
luptuous matron,  in  an  attitude  of  scarcely  sur- 
passable  grace.  The  character  of  the  face  is  beau- 
tiful, in  profile  especially,  and  its  expression  is 
grave.  The  mouth  has  much  of  nature  about  it, 
resembling  greatly  in  character  that  feature  as  seen 


THE    IDEAL   OF    FEMALE    BEAUTY.  319 

in  Southern  Europe  j  but  its  expression,  though 
tender,  is  somewhat  serious  or  fretful. 

It  presents,  however,  many  faults.  The  head  is 
monstrous.  The  neck  is  equally  so,  as  well  as 
coarse.  The  forehead,  eyes,  nose,  and  cheeks, 
present  none  of  the  finely-calculated  details,  which 
surprise  and  delight  us  in  the  Venus  de  Medici. 
The  mammae  are  not  true. 

After  these,  the  androgynous  being,  called  the 
Venus  of  Arles,  is  scarcely  worthy  of  being  men- 
tioned. She  derives  some  grandeur  from  antique 
character  and  symmetry,  and  some  from  her  mas- 
culine features.  The  head  is  monstrous  ;  the  neck 
horrid  j  the  nose  heavy  ;  the  mouth  contemptuous. 

Upon  the  whole,  neither  the  graceful  matron  of 
Naples,  nor  the  manlike  woman  of  the  Louvre,  can 
be  brought  into  competition  with  the  Venus  de 
Medici. 


320  DEFECTS   OF    BEAUTY. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DEFECTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

Defects  of  the  Locomotive  System. 

1.  If  the  whole  figure  be  either  too  broad  or  too 
tall ;  because,  the  first  is  inelegant,  and  the  last 
unfeminine.  Persons  who  are  too  tall  are  gener- 
ally ill  at  ease  and  destitute  of  grace,  a  greater 
misfortune  to  a  woman  than  to  a  man.  —  Too  low 
a  stature  is  a  defect  less  disagreeable,  especially  for 
women.  If,  however,  on  the  one  side,  it  gives 
prettiness,  on  the  other,  it  deprives  of  all  imposing 
appearance. 

2.  If  the  bones,  except  those  of  the  pelvis,  be 
not  proportionally  small;  because,  in  woman,  this 
portion  of  the  locomotive  system  ought  to  be  com- 
pletely subordinate  to  the  vital. 

3.  If  the  ligaments,  and  the  articulations  they 
form,  be  not  proportionally  small ;  because,  in  wo- 
man, this  portion  of  the  locomotive  system  ought 
also  to  be  completely  subordinate  to  the  vital. 

Either  of  the  last  two  defects  will  produce  what 
is  termed  clumsiness. 

4.  If  the  muscles,  generally  more  slender,  feeble, 
Boft  and  yielding  than  in  man,  be  not  large  around 
the  pelvis,  and  delicate  elsewhere ;  because,  this 


DEFECTS    OF    BEATJTY.  321 

is  necessary,  for  reasons  which  will  be  afterward 
assigned,  as  well  as  to  permit  the  ease  and  supple- 
ness of  the  movements. 

5.  If,  in  a  mature  female,  the  length  of  the  neck, 
compared  with  the  trunk,  be  not  proportionally 
somewhat  less  than  in  the  male ;  because,  in  her, 
the  subordination  of  the  locomotive  system,  the 
predominance  of  the  vital,  and  the  dependance  of  the 
mental,  are  naturally  connected  with  the  shorter 
vertebrae  and  shorter  course  of  the  vessels  of  the 
neck. 

(The  following  defects,  from  6  to  15  inclusive, 
have  necessarily  a  reference  also  to  the  vital  sys- 
tem ;  because,  the  form  and  capacity  of  the  cavities 
here  spoken  of,  as  formed  by  the  osseous  frame  of 
the  locomotive  system,  have  an  obvious  relation  to 
the  vital  organs,  which  these  cavities  are  destined 
to  contain.) 

6.  If  the  upper  part  of  the  body  (exclusive  of  the 
bosom)  be  proportionally  more,  and  the  lower  part 
of  the  body  less  prominent,  than  in  man,  so  that, 
when  she  stands  perfectly  upright  or  lies  on  the 
back,  the  space  between  the  breasts  is  more  promi- 
nent than  the  mons  veneris  ;  because,  such  confor- 
mation is  injurious  to  impregnation,  gestation,  and 
parturition. 

7.  If  the  shoulders  seem  Avider  than  the  haunches; 
because,  this  appearance  generally  arises  from  the 
narrowness  of  the  pelvis,  and  its  consequent  unfit- 
ness for  gestation  and  parturition. 

8.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the  shoulders  be  much 


322  DEFECTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

narrower  than  the  pelvis ;  because,  this  indicates 
extreme  weakness  of  the  locomotive  system. 

9.  If  the  shoulders  do  not  slope  from  the  lower 
part  of  the  neck ;  because,  this  shows  that  the 
upper  part  of  the  chest  is  not  sufficiently  wide  of 
itself,  but  is  rendered  angular  by  the  muscularity, 
&c.,  of  the  shoulders. 

10.  If  the  upper  part  of  the  chest  be  not  rela- 
tively short  and  wide,  and  if  it  owe  not  its  width 
rather  to  itself  than  to  the  size  of  the  shoulders ; 
because,  this  shows  that  the  vital  organs  contained 
in  the  chest  are  not  sufficiently  expanded. 

11.  If,  in  youth,  the  upper  part  of  the  trunk,  in- 
cluding the  muscles  moving  the  shoulders,  do  not 
form  an  inverted  cone,  whose  apex  is  the  waist ; 
because,  in  that  case,  the  lightness  and  beauty  of 
the  locomotive  system  are  destroyed  by  the  unre- 
strained expansion  of  the  vital. 

12.  If  the  loins  be  not  extended  at  the  expense 
of  the  chest  above  and  of  the  limbs  below ;  because, 
on  this  depends  their  capacity  to  receive  organs 
enlarged  or  displaced  during  gestation. 

13.  If  the  back  be  not  hollow ;  because,  this 
shows  that  the  pelvis  is  not  sufficiently  deep  to 
project  posteriorly,  nor  consequently  of  sufficient 
capacity  for  gestation  and  parturition. 

14.  If  the  haunches  be  not  widely  expanded  (as 
already  implied  in  speaking  of  the  shoulders) ;  be- 
cause, the  interior  cavity  of  the  pelvis  is  then  in- 
sufficient for  gestation  and  parturition. 

15.  If,  in  consequence  of  the  form  of  the  pelvis, 
and  the  arch  of  the  pubis  being  larger,  the  mons 


BEFECTS    OF   BEAUTY  323 

veneris  be  not  more  prominent  than  the  chest ; 
because,  the  pelvic  cavity  is  then  also  insufficient 
for  gestation  and  parturition. 

16.  If  the  thighs  of  woman  be  not  wider  than 
those  of  man ;  because,  the  width  of  the  female 
pelvis,  and  the  purposes  which  it  serves,  require 
this. 

17.  If  the  size  of  the  thighs  be  not  large,  the 
haunches  as  it  were  increasing  till  they  reach  their 
greatest  extent  at  the  upper  part  of  the  thigh, 
which  anteriorly  rises  as  high  as  the  mons  veneris, 
and  if  the  knees  do  not  approximate. 

18.  If  the  arms  and  the  limbs  be  not  relatively 
short,  if  they  do  not  taper  greatly  as  they  recede 
from  the  trunk,  and  if  the  hands  and  feet  be  not 
small ;  because,  it  is  the  vital  system  and  the 
trunk,  which  is  by  far  the  most  important  part  in 
the  female. 

19.  If  the  larynx  or  flute  part  of  the  throat  be 
not  small ;  because  their  magnitude  indicates  a 
masculine  character. 


Defects  of  the  Vital  System. 

(Defects  of  the  contained  vital  parts,  which  have 
been  already  implied  in  enumerating  those  of  the 
containing  locomotive  parts,  are  not  again  men- 
tioned here,  as  the  intelligent  reader  can  easily 
supply  these  and  similar  omissions.) 

1.  If,  in   consequence  of  marriage  taking  place 


324<  D'EFECTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

before  their  full  growth,  women  remain  always  of 
diminished  stature,  weak,  and  pale, 

2.  If  the  digestive  organs  being  large  rather  than 
active,  is  inconsistent  with  the  greater  activity  and 
less  permanence  of  all  the  other  functions,  secre- 
tion, gestation,  &c.,  excepted. 

3.  If  the  absorbing  vessels,  being  inactive,  are  in- 
sufficient for  large  secretions. 

4.  If  the  circulating  vessels,  being  inactive  and 
imperfectly  ramified,  leave  the  skin  cold,  opaque, 
and  destitute  of  complexion. 

5.  If  the  secreting  vessels,  being  inactive,  furnish 
neither  the  plumpness  necessary  to  beauty,  nor 
those  ovarian,  uterine,  and  mammary  excretions  on 
which  progeny  is  dependant. 

6.  If  the  neck  form  not  an  insensible  transition 
between  the  body  and  head,  being  sufficiently  full 
to  conceal  the  muscles  of  the  neck  and  the  flute 
part  of  the  throat. 

7.  If,  in  a  young  woman,  the  mammse,  without 
being  too  large,  do  not  occupy  the  bosom,  and  rise 
from  it  with  nearly  equal  curves  on  every  side, 
which  similarly  terminate  in  their  apices ;  or  if, 
in  the  mature  woman,  they  do  not,  when  supported, 
seem  laterally  to  protrude  somewhat  on  the  space 
occupied  by  the  arms  ;  because,  these  show  that 
this  important  part  of  the  vital  system  is  insuffi- 
ciently developed. 

8.  If  the  waist,  tapering  little  farther  than  the 
middle  of  the  trunk,  and  being  sufficiently  marked, 
especially  in  the  back  and  loins,  by  the  approxi- 
mation of  the  expanded  pelvis,  be  not  also  slightly 


DEFECTS   OF   BEATTTY.  325 

encroached  on  by  the  plumpness  of  all  the  contig- 
uous parts,  without  however  destroying  its  ele- 
gance, softness  and  flexibility ;  because,  this  sim- 
ilarly shows  feebleness  in  a  portion  of  that  system, 
which  is  by  far  the  most  important  to  woman. 

9.  If  the  waist  be  broader  than  the  upper  part  of 
the  trunk,  including  the  muscles  moving  the  shoul- 
ders ;  because,  this  indicates  that  expansion  of  the 
stomach,  liver,  and  other  glands,  which  is  gener- 
ally the  result  of  their  excessive  use  or  excitement. 
It  is  attended  with  a  common  look  and  an  inele- 
gant appearance. 

10.  If  the  abdomen  be  not  moderately  expanded, 
its  upper  portion  beginning  to  swell  out,  higher 
even  than  the  umbilicus,  and  its  greatest  projection 
being  almost  immediately  under  that  point ;  be- 
cause, this  shows  a  weakness  of  the  vital  system, 
and  a  disproportion  to  the  parts  immediately  above. 

11.  If  the  abdomen,  which  should  be  highest 
immediately  under  the  umbilicus,  slope  not  gently 
toward  the  mons  veneris,  and  be  more  prominent 
elsewhere ;  because  this  is  the  result  of  that  ex- 
cessive expansion  which  takes  place  during  partu- 
rition. 

12.  If  the  abdomen,  which,  as  well  as  being  ele- 
vated, should  be  narrow  at  its  upper  part,  become 
as  broad  there  as  below,  and  lose  that  gentle  lateral 
depression  by  which  it  is  distinguished  from  the 
more  muscular  parts  on  the  sides  of  the  pelvis; 
because,  this  indicates  the  operation  of  the  causes 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 

13.  If  a  remarkable  fulness  exist  not  behind  the 

28 


326  DEFECTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

upper  part  of  the  haunches,  and  on  each  side  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  spine,  commencing  as  high 
as  the  waist,  and  terminating  in  the  still  greater 
swell  of  the  distinctly  separated  hips ;  the  flat 
expanse  between  these  and  immediately  over  the 
fissure  of  the  hips,  being  relieved  by  a  considera- 
ble dimple  on  each  side,  caused  by  the  elevation 
of  all  the  surrounding  parts  ;  because,  it  indicates 
feebleness  in  that  system  which  is  most  essential 
to  woman. 

14.  If  the  cellular  tissue  and  the  plumpness 
which  is  connected  with  it,  do  not  predominate,  so 
as  to  obliterate  all  distinct  projection  of  the  mus- 
cles ;  because,  this  likewise  shows  that  an  impor- 
tant portion  of  the  vital  system  is  feeble,  and  it 
deprives  woman  of  the  forms  which  are  necessary 
to  love.  Nothing  can  completely  compensate,  in 
woman,  for  the  absolute  want  of  plumpness.  The 
features  of  meager  persons  are  hard  ;  they  have  a 
dry  and  arid  physiognomy  ;  the  mouth  is  without 
charm  ;  the  color  is  without  freshness  ;  their  limbs 
seem  ill  united  with  their  body ;  and  all  their  move- 
ments are  abrupt  and  coarse. 

15.  If  plumpness  be  too  predominant  j  because, 
it  then  destroys  the  distinctness  of  parts,  and  con- 
stitutes an  excess  productive  of  inconvenience. 

16.  If  that  excessive  plumpness  be  broken,  as  it 
were,  into  masses  ;  because,  it  constitutes  coarse- 
ness of  the  vital  system. 

17.  If  former  plumpness  have  left  the  previously- 
filled  cellular  tissue  and  expanded  integuments  en- 
feebled ;  because,  that  constitutes  flaccidity. 


DEFECTS    OF    BEAUTY.  327 

18.  If  the  almost  entire  absorptioa  of  adipose 
substance  have  finally  left  the  bones  angular,  the 
muscles  and  other  parts  permanently  rigid,  and  the 
skin  dry  ;  because,  that  indicates  decay  of  the  vital 
system,  and  characterizes  age. 

19,  If  the  skin  be  not  fine,  soft,  and  white,  deli- 
cate, thin,  and  transparent,  fresh  and  animated,  if 
the  complexion  be  not  pure  and  vivid,  if  the  hair 
be  not  fine,  soft,  and  luxuriant,  and  if  the  nails  be 
not  smooth,  transparent,  and  rose-colored  ;  because, 
these  likewise  show  the  feebleness  of  that  system 
which  is  most  important  to  woman. 

Defects  of  the  Mental  System. 

1.  If  the  head,  compared  with  the  trunk,  be  not 
less  than  that  of  the  male  ;  because,  the  mental 
system,  in  the  female,  ought  to  be  subordinate  to 
the  vital,  and  the  reverse  is  inconsistent  with  the 
healthful  and  happy  exercise  of  her  faculties  as 
woman. 

2.  If  the  organs  of  sense  be  not  proportionally 
larger,  when  compared  with  the  brain,  and  more  deli- 
cately outlined  than  in  the  male ;  because,  sensibility 
should  exceed  reasoning  power,  in  the  female. 

3.  If  the  brain  (in  other  words)  be  not  propor- 
tionally smaller,  when  compared  with  the  organs  of 
sense,  than  in  the  male  ;  because,  reasoning  power 
should  be  subordinate  to  sensibility  in  the  female. 

4.  If  the  cerebel  be  not  proportionally  smaller, 
when  compared  with  the  organs  of  sense,  than  in 
the  male  ;  because,  voluntary  power  should  also 
be  subordinate  to  sensibility,  in  the  female. 


328  DEFECTS    OF    BEAUTY. 

5.  If  the  cerebel  be  not  narrow  and  pointed  pos- 
teriorly, that  is,  long  rather  than  broad  (its  general 
form  in  woman) ;  because,  the  volitions  of  woman 
should  be  intense,  not  permanent. 

6.  If  the  forehead  be  not  large  in  proportion  to 
the  backhead,  but  on  the  contrary  low,  or  very 
narrow ;  because,  the  former  being  the  seat  of  ob- 
servation, if  the  organ  be  small,  the  function  must 
be  correspondingly  so,  and  in  that  case  passion 
will  probably  predominate. 

7.  If  the  delicacy  of  the  skin  permit  not  to  the 
touch  of  woman  corresponding  delicacy. 

8.  If  the  mouth  be  not  small,  or  extend  much 
beyond  the  nostrils,  and  if  the  lips  be  not  delicately 
outlined  and  of  vermillion  hue. 

9.  If  the  nose  be  not  nearly  in  the  same  direction 
with  the  forehead,  or  if  more  than  a  slight  inflexion 
is  to  be  seen. 

10.  If  the  eyes  be  not  relatively  large  and  per- 
fectly clear  in  every  part. 

11.  If  the  eyelids,  instead  of  an  oblong,  form 
nearly  a  circular  aperture,  resembling  somewhat 
the  eye  of  monkeys,  cats,  or  birds  ;  because,  this 
round  eye,  when  large,  and  especially  when  dark, 
is  always  indicative  of  a  bold,  and,  when  small,  of 
a  pert  insensibility  of  character. 

12.  If  the  eyelashes  be  not  long  and  silky,  and 
if  the  eyebrows  be  not  furnished  with  fine  hairs, 
and  be  not  arched  and  distinctly  separated. 

13.  If  the  ears  be  prominent,  so  as  to  alter  the 
regularity  of  the  oval  of  the  head,  or  surcharge  its 
outline  with  prominences. 


EXTEENAL   INDICAriONS,  AS   TO   BEAUTY.  329 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

EXTERNAL  INDICATIONS  }  OR  ART  OF  DETERMINING  THE 
PRECISE  FIGURE,  THE  DEGREE  OF  BEAUTY,  THE  MIND, 
THE  HABITS,  AND  THE  AGE  OF  WOMAN,  NOTWITH- 
STANDING  THE    AIDS    AND    DISGUISES    OF    DRESS. 

External  Indications  of  Figure. 

External  indications  as  to  figure  are  required 
chiefly  as  to  the  limbs  which  are  concealed  by 
drapery.  Such  indications  are  afforded  by  the 
walk,  to  every  careful  observer. 

In  considering  the  proportion  of  the  limbs  to  the 
body —  if,  even  in  a  young  woman,  the  walk,  though 
otherwise  good,  be  heavy,  or  the  fall  on  each  foot 
alternately  be  sudden,  and  rather  upon  the  heel, 
the  limbs,  though  well  formed,  will  be  found  to  be 
slender,  compared  with  the  body. 

This  conformation  accompanies  any  great  pro- 
portional development  of  the  vital  system  ;  and  it 
is  frequently  observable  in  the  women  of  the  Saxon 
population  of  England,  as  in  the  counties  of  Norfolk, 
Suffolk,  &c. 

In  women  of  this  conformation,  moreover,  the 
slightest  indisposition  or  debility  is  indicated  by 
28* 


330  EXTERNAL   INDICATIONS, 

a  slight  vibration  of  the  shoulders,  and  upper  part 
of  the  chest,  at  every  step,  in  walking. 

In  considering  the  line  or  direction  of  the  limbs  — 
if,  viewed  behind,  the  feet,  at  every  step,  are  thrown 
out  backward,  and  somewhat  laterally,  the  knees 
are  certainly  much  inclined  inward. 

If,  viewed  in  front,  the  dress,  at  every  step,  is 
as  it  were,  gathered  toward  the  front,  and  then 
tossed  more  or  less  to  the  opposite  side,  the  knees 
are  certainly  too  much  inclined. 

In  considering  the  relative  size  of  each  portion 
of  the  limbs  —  if,  in  the  walk,  there  be  a  greater 
or  less  approach  to  the  marching  pace,  the  hip  is 
large ;  for  we  naturally  employ  the  joint  Avhich  is 
surrounded  with  the  most  powerful  muscles,  and, 
in  any  approach  to  the  march,  it  is  the  hip-joint 
which  is  used,  and  the  knee  and  ankle-joints  which 
remain  proportionally  unemployed. 

If,  in  the  walk,  the  tripping  pace  be  used,  as  in 
an  approach  to  walking  on  tiptoes,  the  calf  is  large ; 
for  it  is  only  by  the  power  of  its  muscles  that,  under 
the  weight  of  the  whole  body,  the  foot  can  be  ex- 
tended for  this  purpose. 

If,  in  the  walk,  the  foot  be  raised  in  a  slovenly 
manner,  and  the  heel  be  seen,  at  each  step,  to  lift 
the  bottom  of  the  dress  upward  and  backward, 
neither  the  hip  nor  the  calf  is  well  developed. 

Even  with  regard  to  the  parts  of  the  figure  which 
are  more  exposed  to  observation  by  the  closer 
adaptation  of  dress,  much  deception  occurs.  It  is, 
therefore,  necessary  to  understand  the  arts  em- 
ployed for  this  purpose,  at  least  by  skilful  women. 


AS    TO    BEAUTY.  331 

A  person  having  ar  narrow  face,  wears  a  bonnet 
with  wide  front,  exposing  the  lower  part  of  the 
cheeks. —  One  having  a  broad  face,  wears  a  closer 
front ;  and,  if  the  jaw  be  wide,  it  is  in  appearance 
diminished,  by  bringing  the  corners  of  the  bonnet 
sloping  to  the  point  of  the  chin. 

A  person  having  a  long  neck  has  the  neck  of  the 
bonnet  descending,  the  neck  of  the  dress  rising, 
and  filling  more  or  less  of  the  intermediate  space. 
One  having  a  short  neck  has  the  whole  bonnet 
short  and  close  in  the  perpendicular  direction,  and 
the  neck  of  the  dress  neither  high  nor  w^ide. 

Persons  with  narrow  shoulders  have  the  shoul- 
ders or  epaulets  of  the  dress  formed  on  the  outer 
edge  of  the  natural  shoulder,  very  full,  and  both 
the  bosom  and  back  of  the  dress  running  in  oblique 
folds,  from  the  point  of  the  shoulder  to  the  middle 
of  the  bust. 

Persons  with  waists  too  large,  render  them  less 
before  by  a  stomacher,  or  something  equivalent, 
and  behind  by  a  corresponding  form  of  the  dress, 
making  the  top  of  the  dress  smooth  across  the 
shoulders,  and  drawing  it  in  plaits  to  a  narrow 
point  at  the  bottom  of  the  waist. 

Those  who  have  the  bosom  too  small,  enlarge  it 
by  the  oblique  folds  of  the  dress  being  gathered 
above,  and  by  other  means. 

Those  who  have  the  lower  posterior  part  of  the 
body  too  flat,  elevate  it  by  the  top  of  the  skirt  being 
gathered  behind,  and  by  other  less  skilful  adjust- 
ments, which  though  hid,  are  easily  detected. 

Those  who  have  the  lower  part  of  the  body  too 


332  EXTERNAL    INDICATIONS, 

prominent  anteriorly,  render  it  less  apparent  by 
shortening  the  waist,  by  a  corresponding  projection 
behind,  and  by  increasing  the  bosom  above. 

Those  who  have  the  haunches  too  narrow,  take 
care  not  to  have  the  bottom  of  the  dress  too  wide. 

Tall  women  have  a  wide  skirt,  or  several  flounces, 
or  both  of  these  :  shorter  women,  a  moderate  one, 
but  as  long  as  can  be  conveniently  worn,  with  the 
flounces,  &c.,  as  low  as  possible.* 

External  Indications  of  Beauty. 

Additional  indications  as  to  beauty  are  required 
chiefly  where  the  woman  observed  precedes  the 
observer,  and  may,  by  her  figure,  naturally  and 
reasonably  excite  his  interest,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  would  be  rude  to  turn  and  look  in  her  face 
on  passing. 

There  can,  therefore,  be  no  impropriety  in  ob- 
serving, that  the  conduct  of  those  who  may  happen 
to  meet  the  woman  thus  preceding,  will  differ  ac- 
cording to  the  sex  of  the  person  who  meets  her. 
—  If  the  person  meeting  her  be  a  man,  and  the  lady 
observed  be  beautiful,  he  will  not  only  look  with  an 
expression  of  pleasure  at  her  countenance,  but  will 
afterward  turn  more  or  less  completely  to  survey 
her  from  behind.  —  If  the  person  meeting  her  be  a 
woman,  the  case  becomes  more  complex.  If  both 
be  either  ugly  or  beautiful,  or  if  the  person  meet- 
ing her  be  beautiful  and  the  lady  observed  be  ugly, 
then  it  is  probable,  that  the  approaching  person 

•  Appendix  K. 


•  AS    TO  BEAUTY.  333 

may  pass  by  inattentively,  casting  merely  an  indif- 
ferent glance :  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  woman 
meeting  her  be  ugly,  and  the  lady  observed  be 
beautiful,  then  the  former  will  examine  the  latter 
with  the  severest  scrutiny,  and  if  she  sees  features 
and  shape  Avithout  defect,  she  will  instantly  fix  her 
eyes  on  the  head-dress  or  gown,  in  order  to  find 
some  object  for  censure  of  the  beautiful  woman, 
and  for  consolation  in  her  own  ugliness. 

Thus  he  who  happens  to  follow  a  female  maybe 
aided  in  determining  whether  it  is  worth  his  while 
to  glance  at  her  face  in  passing,  or  to  devise  other 
means  of  seeing  it. 

Even  when  the  face  is  seen,  as  in  meeting  in  the 
streets  or  elsewhere,  infinite  deception  occurs  as  to 
the  degree  of  beauty.  This  operates  so  powerfully, 
that  a  correct  estimate  of  beauty  is  perhaps  never 
formed  at  first.  This  depends  on  the  forms  and 
still  more  on  the  colors  of  dress  in  relation  to  the 
face.  For  this  reason,  it  is  necessary  to  understand 
the  principles  according  to  which  colors  are  em- 
ployed at  least  by  skilful  women.* 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  yellow,  then  yellow  around  the  face  is  used 
to  reiTiove  it  by  contrast,  and  to  cause  the  red  and 
blue  to  predominate. 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  red,  then  red  around  the  face  is  used  to  re- 

•  I  speak  not  of  paint  here.  It  is  now  used  only  by  meretricious 
persons  and  by  those  harridans  of  higher  rank  who  resemble  them 
in  every  respect,  except  that  the  former  are  ashamed  of  their  pro- 
fession, and  the  latter  advertise  it. 


334  EXTERNAL   INDICATIONS,  * 

move  it  by  contrast,  and  to  cause  the  yellow  and 
blue  to  predominate. 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  blue,  then  blue  around  the  face  is  used  to 
remove  it  by  contrast,  and  to  cause  the  yellow  and 
red  to  predominate. 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  yellow  and  red,  then  orange  is  used. 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  red  and  blue,  then  purple  is  used. 

When  it  is  the  fault  of  a  face  to  contain  too 
much  blue  and  yellow,  then  green  is  used. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  that  the  linings  of 
bonnets  reflect  their  color  on  the  face,  and  trans- 
parent bonnets  transmit  that  color,  and  equally 
tinge  it.  In  both  these  cases,  the  color  employed 
is  no  longer  that  which  is  placed  around  the  face, 
and  which  acts  on  it  by  contrast,  but  the  opposite. 
As  green  around  the  face  heightens  a  faint  red  in 
the  cheeks  by  contrast,  so  the  pink  lining  of  the 
bonnet  aids  it  by  reflection. 

Hence  linings  which  reflect,  are  generally  of  the 
teint  which  is  wanted  in  the  face ;  and  care  is  then 
taken  that  these  linings  do  not  come  into  the  direct 
view  of  the  observer,  and  operate  prejudicially  on 
the  face  by  contrast,  overpowering  the  little  color 
which  by  reflection  they  should  heighten.  The 
fronts  of  bonnets  so  lined,  therefore,  do  not  widen 
greatly  forward,  and  bring  their  color  into  con- 
trast. 

When  bonnets  do  widen,  the  proper  contrast  is 
used  as  a  lining;  but  then  it  has  not  a  surface 


AS    TO   BEAUTY.  335 

much  adapted  for  reflection,  otherwise  it  may  per- 
form that  office,  and  injure  the  complexion. 

Understanding,  then,  the  application  of  these 
colors  in  a  general  way,  it  may  be  noticed,  that 
fair  faces  are  by  contrast  best  acted  on  by  light 
colors,  and  dark  faces  by  darker  colors. 

Dark  faces  are  best  affected  by  darker  colors, 
evidently  because  they  tend  to  render  the  complex- 
ion fairer ;  and  fair  faces  do  not  require  dark  col- 
ors, because  the  opposition  would  be  too  strong. 

Objects  which  constitute  a  background  to  the 
face,  or  which,  on  the  contrary,  reflect  their  hues 
upon  it,  always  either  improve  or  injure  the  com- 
plexion. For  this  and  some  other  reasons,  many 
persons  look  better  at  home  in  their  apartments 
than  in  the  streets.  Apartments  may,  indeed,  be 
peculiarly  calculated  to  improve  individual  com- 
plexions. 

External  Indications  of  Mind. 

External  indications  as  to  mind  may  be  derived 
from  figure,  from  gait,  and  from  dress. 

As  to  figure,  a  certain  symmetry  or  disproportion 
of  parts  (either  of  which  depends  immediately 
upon  the  locomotive  system)  —  or  a  certain  softness 
or  hardness  of  form  (which  belongs  exclusively  to 
the  vital  system)  —  or  a  certain  delicacy  or  coarse- 
ness of  outline  (which  belongs  exclusively  to  the 
mental  system)  —  these  reciprocally  denote  a  loco- 
motive symmetry  or  disproportion  —  or  a  vital 
softness   or   hardness  —  or  a   mental   delicacy  or 


336  EXTERNAL    INDICATIONS, 

coarseness,  which  will  be  found  also  indicated  by 
the  features  of  the  face. 

These  qualities  are  marked  in  pairs,  as  each 
belonging  to  its  respective  system  ;  for,  without 
this,  there  can  be  no  accurate  or  useful  observa- 
tion. 

As  to  gait,  that  progression  Avhich  advances,  un- 
modified by  any  lateral  movement  of  the  body,  or 
any  perpendicular  rising  of  the  head,  and  which 
belongs  exclusively  to  the  locomotive  system  —  or 
that  soft  lateral  rolling  of  the  body,  which  belongs 
exclusively  to  the  vital  system  —  or  that  perpen- 
dicular rising  or  falling  of  the  head  at  every  im- 
pulse to  step,  which  belongs  exclusively  to  the 
mental  system  —  these  reciprocally  indicate  a  cor- 
responding locomotive,  or  vital,  or  mental  charac- 
ter, which  will  be  found  also  indicated  by  the  fea- 
tures of  the  face. 

To  put  to  the  test  the  utility  of  these  elements 
of  observation  and  indication,  let  us  take  a  few 
instances. — If,  in  any  individual,  locomotive  sym- 
metry of  figure  is  combined  with  direct  and  linear 
gait,  a  character  of  mind  and  countenance  not  ab- 
solutely repulsive,  but  cold  and  insipid,  is  indica- 
ted.—  If  vital  softness  of  figure  is  combined,  with 
a  gentle  lateral  rolling  of  the  body  in  its  gait,  vo- 
luptuous character  and  expression  of  countenance 
are  indicated.  —  If  delicacy  of  outline  in  the  figure, 
be  combined  with  perpendicular  rising  of  the  head, 
levity,  perhaps  vanity,  is  indicated.  —  But  there  are 
innumerable  combinations  and  modifications  of  the 
elements  which  we  have  just  described.     Expres- 


AS    TO    MIMD.  337 

siotis  of  pride,  determination,  obstinacy,  &c.,  are 
all  observable. 

The  gait,-  however,  is  often  formed,  in  a  great 
measure,  by  local  or  other  circumstances,  by  which 
it  is  necessarythat  the  observer  should  avoid  being 
misled. 

Dress,  as  affording  indications,  though  less  to 
be  relied  on  than  the  preceding,  is  not  without  its 
value.  The  woman  who  possesses  a  cultivated 
taste,  and  a  corresponding  expression  of  counte- 
nance, will  generally  be  tastefully  dressed  ;  and 
the  vulgar  woman,  with  features  correspondingly 
rude,  will  easily  be  seen  through  the  inappropriate 
mask  in  which  her  milliner  or  dressmaker  may 
have  invested  her. 

External  Indications  of  Habits. 

External  indications  as  to  the  personal  habits  of 
women  are  both  numerous  and  interesting. 

The  habit  of  child-bearing  is  indicated  by  a  flat- 
ter breast,  a  broader  back,  and  thicker  cartilages 
of  the  bones  of  the  pubis,  necessary  widening  the 
pelvis. 

The  same  habit  is  also  indicated  by  a  high  rise 
of  the  nape  of  the  neck,  so  that  the  neck  from  that 
point  bends  considerably  forward,  and  by  an  ele-* 
vation  which  is  diffused  between  the  neck  and 
shoulders.  These  all  arise  from  temporary  disten- 
sions of  the  trunk  in  women  whose  secretions  are 
powerful,  from  the  habit  of  throwing  the  shoulders 
backward  during  pregnancy,  and  the  head  again 
29 


338  EXTERNAL   INDICATIONS, 

forward,  to  balance  the  abdominal  weight ;  and 
they  bestow  a  character  of  vitality  peculiarly  ex- 
pressive. 

The  same  habit  is  likewise  indicated  by  an  ex- 
cess of  that  lateral  rolling  of  the  body  in  walking, 
which  Avas  already  described  as  connected  with 
voluptuous  character.  This  is  a  very  certain  indi- 
cation, as  it  arises  from  temporary  distensions  of 
the  pelvis,  which  nothing  else  can  occasion.  As 
in  consequence  of  this  lateral  rolling  of  the  body, 
and  of  the  weight  of  the  body  being  much  thrown 
forward  in  gestation,  the  toes  are  turned  somewhat 
inward,  they  aid  in  the  indication. 

The  habit  of  nursing  children  is  indicated,  both 
in  mothers  and  nursery-maids,  by  the  right  shoul- 
der being  larger  and  more  elevated  than  the  left. 

The  habits  of  the  seamstress  are  indicated  by 
the  neck  suddenly  bending  forward,  and  the  arms 
being,  even  in  walking,  considerably  bent  forward 
or  folded  more  or  less  upward  from  the  elbows. 

Habits  of  labor  are  indicated  by  a  considerable 
thickness  of  the  shoulders  below,  where  they  form 
an  angle  with  the  inner  part  of  the  arm  ;  and,  where 
these  habits  are  of  the  lowest  menial  kind,  the 
elbows  are  turned  outward  and  the  palms  of  the 
hands  backward. 

The  habits  of  many  of  the  inferior  female  pro- 
fessions might  easily  be  indicated  ;  but  they  would 
be  unsuitable  to  a  work  like  this. 


AS    TO   MIND  339 

External  Indications  of  Age. 

External  indications  of  age  are  required  chiefly 
where  the  face  is  veiled,  or  where  the  woman  ob- 
served precedes  the  observer  and  may  reasonably 
excite  his  interest. 

In  either  of  these  cases,  if  the  foot  and  ankle 
have  lost  a  certain  moderate  plumpness,  and  as- 
sumed a  certain  sinewy  or  bony  appearance,  the 
woman  has  generally  passed  the  period  of  youth. 

If  in  walking,  instead  of  the  ball  or  outer  edge 
of  the  foot  first  striking  the  ground,  it  is  the  heel 
which  does  so,  then  has  the  woman  in  general 
passed  the  meridian  of  life.  —  Unlike  the  last  indi- 
cation, this  is  apparent,  however  the  foot  and  ankle 
may  be  clothed.  —  The  reason  of  this  indication  is 
the  decrease  of  power  which  unfits  the  muscles  to 
receive  the  weight  of  the  body  by  maintaining  the 
extension  of  the  ankle-joint. 

Exceptions  to  this  last  indication  are  to  be  found 
chiefly  in  women  in  whom  the  developments  of  the 
body  are  proportionally  much  greater,  either  from 
a  temporary  or  a  permanent  cause,  than  those  of 
the  limbs,  the  muscles  of  which  are  consequently 
incapable  of  receiving  the  weight  of  the  body  by 
maintaining  the  extension  of  the  ankle-joint. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


Mr.  Walker's  extravagant  admiration  of  the  Grecian  mythology 
has  led  him  to  over-estimate  its  influence  upon  poetry  and  the  arts. 
That  these  were  influenced,  in  a  Te|^|mportant  degree,'  by  the 
religion  of  Greece,  no  one  acquainted  with  the  history  of  that  na- 
tion, can  doubt ;  but,  that  the  arts  cannot  exist  where  the  Grecian 
mythology  is  not  the  popular  religion,  is  an  opinion  unsupported, 
by  the  history  of  the  past,  and  altogether  opposed  to  their  present 
flourishing  state  in  civilized  countries.  In  no  age  or  nation  has 
the  art  of  painting,  for  example,  attained  higher  perfection,  than 
in  Italy  during  the  13th  and  14th  centuries  ;  a  period  which  has  been 
called  "  the  golden  age  of  Italian  art,"  and  its  high  excellence  has 
been  justly  attributed  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  "  The 
walls  and  cupolas,"  says  a  late  writer,  "  of  new  and  splendid 
churches  were  immediately  covered,  as  if  by  enchantment,  with 
the  miracles  of  paintings  and  sculpture  —  the  eager  multitude  were 
npt  compelled  to  wait  till  genius  had  labored  for  years  on  what  it 
had  been  years  in  conceiving.  Those  eager  spirits  seemed  to  breathe 
out  their  creations  in  full  and  mature  beauty  —  performing  at  once, 
by  the  buoyant  energies  of  well-disciplined  genius,  more  than  all 
the  cold  precision  of  mechanical  knowledge  can  ever  accomplish." 
Allan  Cunningham,  in  his  life  of  Flaxman,  the  artist,  speaking  of 
these  paintings,  remarks  :  "  Into  these  Flaxman  looked  with  the 
eye  of  a  sculptor  and  of  a  Cliristian.  He  saw,  he  said,  that  the  , 
mistress  to  whom  the  great  artists  of  Italy  had  dedicated  their 
genius  was  the  Churcli ;  that  they  were  unto  her  as  chief  priests, 
to  interpret  her  tenets  and  her  legends  to  the  world  in  a  more 
brilliant  language  than  that  of  relics  and  images.  To  her  illiterate 
people,  the  Church  addressed  herself  through  the  eye,  and  led 


344  APPENDIX. 

their  senses  captive  by  the  external  maguificeace  with  which  she 
overwhelmed  them." 

But  it  is  unnecessary  to  multiply  quotations  to  prove  this  point. 
Flaxman  never  uttered  a  truer  saying,  than  when  he  remarked, 
that  "the  Christian  religion  presents  personages  and  subjects  no 
less  favorable  to  painting  and  sculpture  than  the  ancient  classics." 
Accordingly,  we  find  among  his  own  immortal  productions,  that 
the  monument  erected  in  memory  of  Miss  Lushington,  in  Kent, 
representing  a  mother  mourning  for  her  daughter,  comforted  by  a 
ministering  angel,  was  inspired  by  that  text  of  holy  writ,  "  Blessed 
are  they  that  mourn;"  and  the  monument  in  memory  of  the  family 
of  Sir  Francis  Baring  imbodies  these  words,  "  Thy  will  be  done  — 
thy  kingdom  come  —  deliver  us  from  evil."  To  the  first  motto 
belongs  a  devotional  figure  as  large  as  life — 

"  Her  looks  communing  with  the  skies  ;" 

a  perfect  image  of  piety  aWresignation.  On  one  side,  imbodying 
"  Thy  kingdom  come,"  a  mother  and  daughter  ascend  to  the  skies 
welcomed  rather  than  supported  by  angels  ;  and  on  the  other,  ex- 
pressing the  sentiment  "Deliver  us  from  evil,"  a  male  figure,  in 
subdued  agony,  appears  in  the  air,  while  spirits  of  good  and  evil 
contend  for  the  mastery.  This  has  been  considered  one  of  the 
finest  pieces  of  motionless  poetry  in  England.  We  hold,  then,  that 
Mr.  Walker's  remark  that  "  neither  poetry  nor  the  arts  can  have 
being,  without  the  rehgion  of  Greece,"  is  far  from  being  sustained, 
either  by  history  or  observation. 


The  remarks  of  Mr.  Walker,  in  relation  to  the  duty  of  parents 
and  teachers,  seem  to  us  well-founded  and  judicious.  If  moral,  as 
well  as  intellectual  and  physical  education,  be  part  of  the  parental 
duty,  then  it  would  seem  to  follow,  that  it  should  embrace  those 
subjects  which  are  of  the  most  importance,  both  to  the  physical 
and  moral  well-being  of  the  child  ;  and  surely,  the  relation  of  the 
sexes,  and  the  due  subjection  of  the  animal  propensities,  are  not 
the  least  important  of  these.  There  is  a  delicacy  generally  felt 
and  observed  on  this  point,  which  springs  from  a  principle  that  we 
honor  and  respect,  while,  at  the  same  time,  we  doubt  whether  it 
leads  to  favorable  and  auspicious  results.  No  one,  who  looks  back 


APPENDIX.  345 

upon  the  yews  of  his  own  childhood,  can  for  a  moment  doubt  that 
judicious  advice  and  seasonable  information  on  certain  subjects, 
which  were  probably  considered  of  a  too  delicate  nature  to  be  even 
hinted  at,  would  have  been  highly  useful.  The  young  will  inevitably 
become  initiated  into  certain  vices  and  evil  practices,  unless  put  on 
their  guard,  by  the  warning  voice  of  those  they  love  and  respect- 
There  are  a  variety  of  passions,  affections,  and  appetites,  which  be- 
long to  our  nature,  and  were  intended  when  properly  directed  and 
indulged,  to  promote  our  interest  and  happiness.  Those  under 
consideration,  early  begin  to  manifest  themselves,  and,  when  left 
without  the  restraints  of  enlightened  intellect  and  the  moral  sense, 
invariably  lead  to  disastrous  consequences.  The  question  then  is, 
shall  the  young  and  inexperienced  be  left  to  the  mere  accidents  of 
its  condition,  without  an  effort  to  give  it  sound  principles  to  govern 
it,  or  without  bringing  some  conservative  influence  to  bear  upon 
it  ?  We  think,  with  Mr.  Walker,  that  it  should  not.  Both  philoso. 
phy  and  reason  prove  the  danger  of  Such  a  course.  The  circum- 
stances which  are  connected  with  sexual  vices  cannot  be  wholly 
kept  out  of  view.  They  meet  the  eye,  or  are  suggested  to  the 
imagination,  at  almost  every  turn.  A  thousand  scenes  and  incidents 
occur  to  excite  the  passions,  if  the  mind  is  not  fortified  against 
their  influence.  Those  who  are  fastidious,  and  believe  that  delica* 
cy  forbids  all  allusion  to  such  subjects,  will  say,  "  Keep  the  youth 
in  ignorance  —  conceal,  if  possible,  everything  from  his  view,  that 
may  excite  the  passions."  Still,  there  remain  the  constitutional 
susceptibilities ;  passion  and  appetite  cannot  be  eradicate.d,  and 
.  they  will  often  be  excited  by  incidents,  which  the  most  wakeful 
vigilance  will  not  detect  or  suspect.  The  fact  is,  that  long  before 
parents  are  aware  of  it,  the  child  has  obtained  knowledge  on  these 
subjects  through  many  corrupt  channels  ;  and  the  associations  first 
formed,  are  destined  .to  exert,  ever  afterward,  a  powerful  influence 
for  evil.  The  early  associations  might,  by  judicious  instruction  on 
the"  part  of  parents,  be  of  such  character,  as  to  throw  around  the 
youth  a  barrier  almost  impregnable.  As  to  the  time  and  manner 
of  imparting  this  instruction,  it  must  be  left  to  the  wisdom  and 
prudence  of  teachers  and  parents  and,  perhaps,  as  a  general  rule, 
it  should  be  left  wholly  to  the  latter. 


346  APPENDIX. 


Much  has  been  written  on  the  nature  of  beauty,  from  the  divine 
Plato,  who  dedicated  one  of  his  dialogues  to  this  subject,  to  Lord 
Jeffries,  the  editor  of  the  Edinburgh  Review  ;  who,  in  his  celebra- 
ted article  in  the  Supplement  to  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  has 
excelled  all  previous  efforts  in  its  elucidation,  and  produced  an 
essay,  which  will  stand  an  imperishable  monument  of  his  taste, 
learning,  and  genius.  It  is  not  our  design  to  enter  upon  a  consid- 
eration of  beauty  in  the  abstract,  or  to  attempt  its  analysis,  as  thi3 
has  been  done  by  our  author  in  a  very  able,  if  not  satisfactory 
manner.  We  take  it,  however,  to  denote  that  quality,  or  assem- 
blage and  union  of  qualities  in  the  objects  of  our  perception,  wheth- 
er material,  intellectual,  or  moral,  which  we  contemplate  with 
emotions  of  pleasure ;  and  we  refer  it  to  that  internal  sense, 
which  is  usually  called  taste.  When  it  is  asked,  why  a  thing  is 
beautiful,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  find  a  satisfactory  answer.  We 
find  beauty  in  color,  in  sound,  in  form,  in  motion,  in  everjlhing. 
We  have  beauties  of  speech,  beauties  of  thought,  beauties  in  art,  in 
nature,  in  the  sciences,  in  actions,  in  affections,  and  in  characters. 
Dr.  Reid  well  asks,  "  In  things  so  different,  and  so  unlike,  is  there 
any  quality,  the  same  in  all,  which  we  may  call  by  the  name  of 
beauty?"  We  shall  not  attempt  to  fathom  this  difficulty  ;  indeed, 
it  could  not  be  done,  without  entering  upon  a  metaphysical  discus- 
sion, dry  in  detail,  and  uninteresting  in  result. 

When  we  come  to  inquire  in  what  female  beauty  consists,  we 
shall  find  that  there  is  something  which  enters  into  it,  beside  phy- 
sical goodness.  It  is  not  a  mere  matter  of  flesh  and  blood  ;  but 
color,  form,  expression,  and  grace,  are  all  essential  to  its  perfec- 
tion. The  two  first  have  been  called  the  body,  the  two  latter,  the 
soul  of  beauty  —  and  without  the  soul,  the  body  is  but  a  mass  of 
deformed  and  inanimate  matter: — 

"  Mind,  mind,  alone  I  bear  witness  earth  and  heaven, 
The  living  fountains  in  itself  contains 
Of  beauteous  and  sublime.    Here,  hand-in-hand, 
Sit  paramount  the  Graces.     Here,  enthroned, 
Celestial  Venus,  with  divinest  airs, 
Invites  the  soul  to  never-failing  joy." 

AKENSIDK 

Color  and  form  are  only  beautiful,  because  they  are  expressive  of 
health,  delicacy,  and  softness,  in  the  female  sex.    It  has  been  re- 


APPENDIX  347 

marked,  that  expression  has  greater  power  than  either  beauty  or 
form,  as  it  is  only  the  expression  of  the  tender  and  kind  passions 
that  gives  beauty ;  that  all  the  cruel  and  unkind  ones  add  to  de- 
formity, and  that,  on  their  account,  good-nature  may  very  properly 
be  said  to  be  the  best  feature,  even  in  the  finest  face.  Modesty, 
sensibility,  and  sweetness,  blended  together,  so  as  either  to  enliven 
or  correct  each  other,  give  almost  as  much  attraction  as  the  pas- 
sions are  capable  of  adding  to  a  very  pretty  face.  It  is  owing  to 
this  force  of  pleasingaess,  which  attends  all  the  kinder  passions, 
that  lovers  not  only  seem,  but  really  are,  more  beautiful  to  each 
other  than  to  the  rest  of  the  world ;  and  in  their  mutual  presence 
and  intercourse,  says  a  French  writer,  there  is  a  soul  upon  their 
countenances,  which  does  not  appear  when  they  are  absent  from 
each  other  or  even  in  company  that  lays  a  restraint  upon  their  fea- 
tures. Indeed,  it  will  appear  that  all  the  ingredients  of  beauty  ter- 
minate in  expression,  and  this  may  be,  either  perfection  of  the 
body,  or  the  qualities  of  the  mind.  Dr.  Reid  indeed  goes  so  far  as 
to  say,  that  beauty  originally  dwells  in  the  moral  and  intellectual 
perfections  of  mind,  and  in  its  active  powers.  Thus  beauty  may 
be  ascribed  to  all  those  qualities  which  are  the  natural  objects  of 
love  and  kind  affections,  as  the  moral  virtues,  innocence,  gentle- 
ness, condescension,  humanity,  natural  affections,  and  the  whole 
train  of  soft  and  gentle  virtues  —  qualities  amiable  in  their  nature, 
and  on  account  of  their  moral  worth.  So  also  do  intellectual  tal- 
ents excite  our  love  and  esteem  of  those  who  possess  them ;  these 
are  knowledge,  good  sense,  wit,  humor,  cheerfulness,  good  taste, 
excellence  in  any  of  the  fine  arts  —  as  music,  painting,  sculpture, 
embroidery,  &c.  Thus,  for  example,  the  beauty  of  good  breeding 
is  not  originally  in  the  external  behavior  in  which  it  consists,  but  is 
derived  from  the  qualities  of  mind  which  it  expresses  ;  for  it  has 
been  well  observed,  that  though  there  may  be  good  breeding  with- 
out the  amiable  qualities  of  mind,  its  beauty  is  still  derived  from 
what  it  naturally  expresses. 

Flaxman  has  truly  said,  that  neither  mind  nor  any  one  of  its 
qualities  or  powers,  is  an  immediate  object  of  perception  to  men. 
These  are  perceived  through  the  medium  of  material  objects,  on 
which  their  signatures  are  impressed.  The  signs  of  these  qualities 
are  immediately  perceived  by  the  senses,  and  by  them  reflected  to 
the  understanding;  and  we  are  apt  to  attribute  to  the  sign,  the 
beauty  which  is  properly  and  originally  in  the  thing  signified. 
Thus,  the  invisible  Creator  hath  stamped  on  his  works  signatures 
of  his  divine  wisdom,  power,  and  benignity,  which  are  visible  to  all 


348  APPENDIX. 

men.  The  ■works  of  men  in  science,  in  the  arts  of  taste,  and 
in  the  mechanical  arts,  bear  the  signatures  of  those  qualities 
of  mind  which  were  employed  in  their  production.  Their  ex- 
t  mal  behavior  or  conduct  m  life,  expresses  the  good  or  bad 
qualities  of  their  minds.  In  every  species  of  animals  we  perceive, 
by  visible  signs,  their  instincts,  appetites,  affections,  or  sagacity ; 
and  even  in  the  inanimate  world,  there  are  many  things  analogous 
to  the  qualities  of  mind  ;  so  that  there  is  hardly  anything  belong- 
ing to  mind  which  may  not  be  represented  by  images  taken  from 
objects  of  sense ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  every  object  of  sense  is 
beautiful,  by  borrowing  attire  from  attributes  of  the  mind.  Thus, 
the  beauties  of  mind,  though  invisible  in  themselves,  are  perceived 
in  the  objects  of  sense,  in  which  their  beauty  is  impressed.  Thus, 
also,  in  those  qualities  of  sensible  objects  to  which  we  ascribe 
beauty,  we  discover  in  them  some  relation  to  mind,  and  the  greatest 
in  those  that  are  most  beautiful.  Every  beauty  in  the  vegetable 
creation,  of  which  we  can  form  any  rational  judgment,  expresses 
some  perfection  in  the  object,  or  some  wise  contrivance  in  the 
author.  In  the  animal  kingdom  we  perceive  superior  beauties,  re- 
sulting from  life,  sense,  activity,  various  instincts  and  affections, 
and,  in  many  cases,  great  sagacity ;  which  are  attributes  of  mind, 
and  possess  an  original  beauty.  In  their  manner  of  life,  we  ob- 
serve that  they  possess  powers,  outward  form,  and  inward  struc- 
ture, exactly  adapted  to  it ;  and  the  more  perfectly  any  individual 
B  fitted  for  its  end  and  manner  of  life,  the  greater  is  its  beauty. 
This,  also,  was  manifestly  Milton's  theory  of  beauty;  for,  in  his 
unrivalled  description  of  our  first  parents  in  Paradise,  he  derives 
iheir  beauty  from  those  expressions  of  moral  and  intellectual 
qualities  which  shone  forth  in  their  outward  form  and  demeanor : — 

"  Two  of  far  nobler  shape,  erect  and  tall, 
God-like  erect !  with  native  honor  clad, 
In  naked  majesty,  seemed  lords  of  all, 
And  worthy  seemed,  for,  in  their  looks  dirine, 
The  image  of  their  glorious  Maker,  shone 
Truth,  wisdom,  sanclitude,  severe  and  pure  ; 
Severe,  but  in  true  filial  freedom  placed, 
Whence  true  authority  in  mun  ;  though  both 
Not  equal,  as  their  sex  not  equal  seemed, 
For  contemplaticra  he,  and  valor  formed. 
For  softness  she,  and  sweet  attractive  graced 

From  these  remarks,  it  will  appear  that  we  do  not  regard  novelty 
alone  as  being  "  the  exciting  cause  of  pleasurable  emotions^  and  of 


APPENDIX.  349 

tile  consequent  perception  of  beauty  in  the  relation  of  things." 
The  beautiful,  both  in  statuary  and  painting,  we  believe  to  depend 
chiefly  on  the  perfection  with  which  the  artist  succeeds  in  expres- 
sing the  qualities  of  the  mind,  whether  good  or  evil ;  and  it  is  worthy 
of  notice,  that  Plato,  in  his  Dialogues,  declares  that  the  good  and 
the  beautiful  are  one  and  the  same.  Hence,  the  Greeks  called  the 
beautiful  KAAOE. 

The  influence  of  novelty  has  been  so  well  illustrated  in  an  Essay 
by  the  author  of  a  Treatise  on  Happiness,  that  we  trust  no  apology 
will  be  required  for  transferring  a  portion  of  it  to  our  pages  i — 

"The  term  novelty  applies  to  everything  new  —  either  newly 
invented,  or  newly  exhibited  to  us  ;  in  the  former  case  the  thing  is 
novel  to  the  world,  in  the  latter  it  is  novel  to  ourselves.  Novelty 
powerfully  influences  the  senses,  the  passions,  and  the  manners  of 
human  beings ;  it  furnishes  amusement,  employment,  and  main- 
tenance for  man  ;  it  accompanies  him  in  his  progress  through  this 
variable  being,  from  the  commencement  of  life  to  the  period  of 
dissolution. 

"  Novelty  may  be  either  pleasing  or  unpleasing.  When  it  afiects 
the  senses  by  grateful  influences,  it  occasions  admiration  and  de- 
light. How  powerfully  must  the  vision  of  Adam  have  been  affect- 
ed, when  he  was  introduced  to  being  !  Every  thing  which  he  beheld 
was  new.  There  was  drawn  out  before  him,  the  plain,  the  fruitful 
Talley,  the  verdant  hill.  Shrubs  and  trees  were  distributed  around 
him.  The  earth  was  strewed  with  flowers:  rivulets  and  rivers 
diversified  the  scene  — 

'  Rolling  on  orient  pearl,  and  sands  of  gold.' 

The  ocean,  perhaps,  was  stretched  out  as  a  plain  of  silver  in  the 
distant  view  ;  the  heavens  were  robed  in  splendor ;  the  sun  shone 
brilliantly.  His  own  person  —  himself,  was  an  inextricable  mys- 
tery. He  could  move  ;  he  could  think  ;  he  could  behold  the  dis- 
play of  creation  ;  he  could  close  his  eyes,  and  exclude  every  im- 
pression. All  was  new  ;  and  everything,  he  might  naturally  have 
fancied,  would  remain  the  same  ;  but,  he  was  destined  to  behold  a 
series  of  novelties.  In  a  short  time,  he  saw  the  sun  sinking  below 
the  horizon.  The  heavens  were  adorned  in  their  most  splendid 
robes,  like  the  gorgeous  display  of  an  Eastern  monarch.  A  shade 
was  cast  over  the  valleys,  and  darkness  began  to  gather  among 
the  trees,  while  their  tops  and  branches  were  still  illumined  in  the 
sunbeams.  The  shadows  of  evening  are  now  gathered  around 
him  J  the  twinkling  stars  adorn  the  heavens ;  but  the  beauties'  of 
30 


350  APPENDIX. 

hill,  Tale,  waters,  trees,  and  flowers,  are  departed !  How  sensibly 
must  he  have  been  affected  !  He  would  now  conclude  that  his 
future  time  must  be  spent  in  darkness  ;  but  he  looks  toward  the 
East,  and  across  the  wide  expanse  of  waters  he  beholds  a  gleam 
of  light,  which  leads  the  eye  to  some  great  luminary,  rising  above 
the  horizon,  to  cheer  the  nightly  solitude  ;  and,  as  it  mounts  to 
the  zenith,  new  beauties  delight  the  vision  of  this  lonely  and 
astonished  inhabitant  of  the  earth.  After  a  short  period  the  moon 
sinks,  the  sun  rises  in  the  heavens,  and  the  same  dehghtful  scenery 
is  exhibited  which  was  beheld  the  previous  day. 

"  We  can  imagine  the  effect  of  novelty  in  producing  admiration  ; 
when  travellers,  who  having  been  toiling  for  many  days  or  weeks, 
on  the  burning  sands  of  interminable  deserts,  come  suddenly  upon 
some  lovely  valley,  watered  by  cooling  streams,  shaded  by  groves 
of  trees,  and  beautified  with  clusters  of  flowers.  Or,  we  can  fancy 
the  pleasure  which  would  be  produced  on  wayworn  voyagers, 
who  had  been  long  toiling  on  the  great  deep  and  they  come  to 
some  blest  isle, 

'  Where  tlie  voluptuous  breeze 

The  pea(;eful  native  breathes,  at  eventide, 
From  nutmeg-groves,  and  bowers  of  cinnamon.' 

To  the  infant  ever3rthing  is  novel,  and  almost  everything  is  a 
source  of  admiration.  The  people  who  move  to  and  fro  ;  the 
walls  and  furniture  of  the  room ;  the  fire  and  the  candles  ;  the 
bustle  and  movement  of  men  and  carriages  ;  the  heavens,  sunshine, 
and  rain.  These  occasion  interest  and  surprise.  Dr.  Brown  has 
inquired, '  What  metaphysician  is  there,  however  subtile  and  pro- 
found  in  his  analytical  inquiries,  and  however  successful  in  the 
analyses  which  he  has  made,  who  would  not  give  all  his  past  dis- 
covery, and  all  his  hopes  of  future  discovery,  for  the  certainty  of 
knowing,  with  exactness,  what  every  infant  feels?"  But  he  would, 
probably,  meet  with  few  who  would  sacrifice  so  much  for  the 
purpose ;  and  yet  the  feelings  of  an  infant  must  be  exceedingly 
interesting. 

"  We  can  easily  suppose  the  effect  which  would  be  produced  on 
a  company  of  savages,  if,  in  the  midst  of  their  woods,  one  of  our 
best  military  bands  were  to  strike  up  a  powerful  strain  of  martial 
music.  At  first  they  would  sit  motionless,  or  stand  as  statues ; 
then  look  toward  the  place  whence  the  sounds  proceeded, 
where  they  would  behold  a  company  of  persons,  in  many-colored 


APPENDIX.  351 

dresses,  tmd  splendid  ornaments,  with  curious  musical  instruments, 
dropped,  as  they  would  fancy,  from  the  clouds. 

"  But  the  effect  of  novelty  may  be  painful ;  and  this  feeling  will 
be  powerful  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  circumstances  are  im- 
portant and  new.  Suppose,  for  instance,  a  person  who  had  been 
trained  in  the  ways  of  propriety  and  virtue  were  introduced,  for 
the  first  time,  to  a  village-wake,  or  some  such  brutal  holyday, 
where  he  would  behold  bull-baiting  and  cock-fighting,  boxing 
and  drunkenness ;  where  he  would  listen  to  quarrelling  and  pro- 
fane swearing ;  how  would  his  feelings  be  shocked  !  He  would 
scarcely  have  fancied  that  a  spot  so  small,  on  the  surface  of  the 
globe,  could  have  exhibited  so  great  a  variety  of  wickedness. 

"  Or,  we  may  imagine  some  one  endowed  with  a  delicate  ear  for 
music,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  practice  of  delightful 
harmony,  obliged,  for  the  first  time,  to  listen  to  the  harsh  scraping 
of  some  barbarous  laborer  on  the  violin,  or  the  useless  attempts  of 
some  tasteless  practitioners  to  perform  a  piece  of  music !  How 
irksome  and  insufferable  must  such  an  ordeal  be  to  a  man  of  re- 
finement ;  and  how  would  its  painfulness  be  increased  by  its 
novelty  ! 

"  By  the  same  rule,  a  person  who  may  have  been  accustomed  to 
luxury  and  dainty  food,  but  is  obliged,  for  the  first  time,  to  feed 
on  loathsome  bread  and  nauseous  water,  feels  doubly  the  misery 
of  his  condition.  And  thus  the  man  who  has  been  used  to  salubrlr 
ous  air  and  grateful  scents,  will  be  the  more  effected  by  disgusting 
smells. 

"  Novelty  operates  also  in  powerfully  exciting  the  passions. 
Suppose  a  general  to  be  usually  unfortunate  in  his  combats  with 
the  enemy,  and  his  army  to  be  consequently  dispirited  ;  but,  upon 
some  particular  occasion,  the  favors  of  fortune  and  of  Providence 
are  bestowed  upon  them,  their  efforts  are  successful,  and  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy  begin  to  waver,  how  would  this  inspirit  them, 
and  brighten  their  courage!  They  would  lush  forward,  uncon- 
scious and  careless  of  danger,  and  the  foe  must  fly  before  such 
unconquerable  ardor ! 

"  If  a  man  who  had  lived  in  poverty,  in  dependance  on  others 
for  a  subsistence,  had  constantly  wished  for  independence  and 
comparative  influence,  and  had  endeavored  to  swim  against  the 
stream  of  adversity  but  had  never  succeeded,  and,  all  at  once,  a 
handsome  fortune  were  left  to  him,  how  would  his  eyes  sparkle 
with  exultation  !  If  a  person  had  been  separated  from  his  friends, 
and  doomed  to  spend  his  days  in  the  solitude  of  a  foreign  land, 


352  APPENDIX. 

and  he  met,  unexpectedly,  with  some  of  his  nearest  and  kindest 
friends,  how  would  his  countenance  beam  with  delight ! ,  The 
novelty  of  the  circumstance  would  increase  the  amount  of  his  joy! 

"  A  traveller  in  a  foreign  country  would  be  exceedingly  pleased 
to  discover  some  trinket  which  had  been  made  in  his  native  city ; 
and  especially  if  he  saw  on  it  the  name  of  an  intimate  friend  as  the 
manufacturer.  A  toy,  a  dog,  or  a  cat,  under  some  circumstances, 
has  occasioned  testrs.  A  beautiful  female  has  appeared  more 
lovely,  when  interesting  events  have  introduced  her  to  our  notice  ; 
and  one  who  is  not  usually  attractive,  has  appeared  so,  when 
novelty  has  thrown  its  fascinations  aroimd  her. 

"  The  feeling  of  hope  may  be  excited  most  powerfully  by  novel 
and  unexpected  circumstances.  When  the  mariner  has  been  long 
toiling  in  storms  and  dangers  ;  when  the  heavens  have  been  cover- 
ed with  darkness,  and  no  information  or  guidance  could  be  gained 
from  the  stars  or  the  sun,  the  tempest  suddenly  ceases,  the  cheer- 
ing sunbeams  break  upon  him,  and  he  finds  himself,  unexpectedly, 
near  the  haven  where  he  would  be  —  how  does  his  heart  exult  with 
hope,  and  the  consciousness  of  security  ! 

"  The  passions  may  be  excited,  also,  in  an  unpleasing  manner  ; 
the  feeling  of  fear  may  be  powerfully  produced  by  novelty.  Sup- 
pose, for  instance,  a  j^outh,  who  was  trained  in  the  ways  of  tran- 
quillity and  enjoyment,  with  a  feeling  heart  for  the  sufferings  of 
others,  to  be  brought,  all  at  once,  on  the  field  of  war  and  blood- 
shed. Suppose  liim  passing  along  some  narrow  defile,  where  the 
distant  scenes  could  scarcely  afiect  him,  and  where  he  would 
perceive  only  a  din  of  discordant  sounds.  But,  on  a  sudden,  he 
reaches  the  termination  of  the  passage,  and  all  the  pomp,  and 
circumstance,  and  horror  of  war,  are  exhibited  before  him.  Here 
he  beholds  rank  opposed  to  rank,  in  deadly  conflict ;  troops  of 
horsemen  butchering  each  other  ;  forests  of  deadly  weapons 
gleaming  in  the  sunbeams.  Now  he  listens  to  the  shouts  of  vic- 
tors, the  cries  of  the  vanquished,  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and 
dying ;  to  the  swelling  notes  of  some  musical  band  ;  the  discord- 
ant sounds  of  the  drum ;  the  clashing  of  arms,  and  the  shrill 
clamor  of  trumpets  ;  to  the  rattling  of  musketry  and  the  roaring  of 
artillery !  How  would  his  heart  sink  within  him  at  these  novel 
scenes  ! 

"  Novelty  will  also  occasion  sorrow ;  as,  when  a  man  has  been 
accustomed  to  independence,  and  the  comforts  which  wealth, 
judiciously  managed,  may  produce,  and  his  riches  are  suddenly 
swept  away,  he  is  reduced  from  affluence  to  dependance,  from 


APPENDIX,  353 

comforts  to  privations.  And  when  a  person  has  been  used  to  the 
society  of  pleasant  friends,  and  these  are  removed  by  the  hand  of 
death,  and  the  clay-cold  body  alone  remains  as  the  representative 
of  a  cheerful  and  amiable  companion,  the  novelty  of  this  event 
will  occasion  heartfelt  sorrow. 

"  When  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  associate  as  faithful 
friends  ;  or,  when  a  monarch  has  been  surrounded  by  persons  who 
liave  pretended  feelings  of  attachment,  and  evinced  much  hypo- 
critical  fidelity,  and,  all  at  once,  the  veil  of  deception  has  been 
drawn  aside,  and  an  aspect  has  presented  itself  of  a  new  and 
treacherous  kind,  how  powerful  have  been  the  feelings  of  abhor- 
rence and  anger ! 

"  And  when  a  person,  who  has  been  nurtured  in  the  lap  of  ease 
and  comfort,  and  blessed  with  that  best  of  all  blessings  (if  it  be 
rightly  managed),  the  gift  of  liberty,  is  torn  from  his  home, 
and  his  family,  and  his  engagements,  and  carried  into  a  land  of 
slavery,  where  he  is  laden  with  oppressive  chains,  and  insulted  by 
a  cruel  task-master,  with  no  chance  of  freedom,  nor  any  ray  of 
happiness,  how  will  his  spirits  sink,  and  how  will  the  haggard 
lineaments  of  despair  be  drawn  on  that  countenance  which  was 
formed  for  cheerfulness  !  Or,  suppose  a  person  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  a  dwelling  in  some  verdant  valley,  undisturbed  by  storms 
or  the  hazards  of  the  sea ;  and  he  was  introduced,  for  the  first 
time,  to  some  of  the  most  aggravated  dangers  of  that  boisterous 
element.  Suppose  the  winds  were  driving  furiously  over  the 
ocean,  and  the  huge  billows  were  breaking  on  the  helpless  bark, 
while  the  darkness  of  the  night  was  varied  only  by  the  gleam  of 
the  lightning,  which  exhibited  breakers,  and  rocks,  and  over- 
hanging precipices,  how  would  this  new  and  dangerous  condition 
agitate  his  mind,  and  drive  him  to  despair ! 

"  Novelty  influences  the  customs  or  habits  of  mankind.  On 
some  occasions  novel  engagements  are  pleasing ;  and  thus  we 
practise  them  again,  and  acquire  a  habit  of  performing  them.  For 
instance,  the  citizen  who  has  walked  into  the  country  as  a  novelty, 
lias  been  pleased  with  his  ramble,  and  induced  to  practise  it  daily. 
It  sometimes  occasions  a  progress  in  the  arts  ;  and  thus  the  first 
attempts  at  music,  at  painting,  and  at  sculpture,  have  produced  a 
pleasure  which  has  stimulated  the  person  to  future  and  continued 
labors. 

"  Sometimes,  when  the  first  impression  has  been  rather  un- 
pleasing,  a  custom  has  been  acquired,  because,  afterward,  it  had 
been  found  pleasing  or  advantageous.  Thus  there  are  many  kinds 
30* 


9am  APPEjTBri. 

or  food,  wluch  wae  orieinallf  wagfatteftlf  IfBt  are  aow 
delicioos.  Port  wiae  is  gjuju—  6r  a  <££Id,  bat  it  is  pleaai^  te 
dhe  taMe  «f  •  pezson  irhs  Iub  Ik«k  aeeastomed  to  it.  SBko^ig, 
Ae  tiiriig  af  aanf,  and  mwliinitiag  of  tobacco,  with  naBf  aiba 
useless  and  dirty  customs,  are  not  produced  by  t&e  ykaaoig'  m- 
flnence  of  novelty;  b«E  they  are  rather  opposed  to  it.  They  azise 
jaiBcipally  from,  tke  iwdiaatMa  o£  SoBtummg  loiaiioas  naatplfis;. 
la  sotne  cases  ladies  karc  aeC  Ottm  fiwes  mgaiait  sack 
ami  have  prohibited  the  practice  anoag  tiiaee  who  would 
Abt  esteem :  in  other  cases  they  kare  been  more  lenient,  1 
they  hare  fo<md  that  a  fiame  of  lore  maj  Vna  aaud  vahaaes  af 
smoke  &om  cigars  or  tobacco-pipes.  Korelty  haa  iii  i  ■iiiiiii  il  a 
station  of  nnpIcaaaBtaaa,  vitk  mgad  to  parrlcniar  modes  of 
^Ksa ;  but  afterwanl  tkeae  fiwHiwa*  kare  become  necessary  to  oar 

**1m  ftmmt  autaaras,  the  Tsry  tkoigs  whkh  we  commooly  hate 
■oat,  beeaow  eweatial  to  oar  happineas.  Wkm  Ijoms  XVi. 
aKeaded  tbe  tkrooe  of  France,  the  doors  of  sooe  of  tke  daik  edb 
m  tke  Bastile  were  opened,  aod  tke  kaplesa  rradnu  were  allow* 
ed  eaee  laoie  to  Ifeatke  tke  pare  air  of  keavca.  Awmmg  tke  teat, 
tkere  was  oae  maa  wiio  bad  beea  iaunaied  ftr  aeady  fifty  ycaia 
h  a  wretdhed  cell,  tke  area  of  wkidi  was  so  snail  as  scarcely  to 
alioir  koB  toom  to  more  abott;  bat,  karinf;  a  ngoioas  body  aad 
a  firm  maid,  ke  aqipaatcd  knaael^  aatil  ke  kad  almost  foisottcn 
tke  world  nadw^  ke  fired,  kariag kad  ao  iatcTCoaise  witk  any 
one  bat  tke  ja3er,  wko  tvoogbt  kin  \a»  dafly  food.  When  ke 
neaped  the  smumuas  to  depart,  which  seemed  like  a  aiessage  ia 
a  dream,  he  was  astooisked ;  but  when  ke  walked  tkroogk  tke 
apacions  panagcj  and  the  open  coarts,  and  saw  the  heavens  ex- 
tcaded  abore  kim,  and  the  sa  riunatg  in  his  splendor,  he  was 
overcome  by  kis  feebngs.  He  could  badly  walk,  and  badly  speak , 
and  he  seeaied  as  if  ke  bad  entered  a  new  world.  He  went  into 
the  city,  and  fiotrnd  the  street  in  which  he  had  formerly  lived,  but 
his  friends  were  dead ;  there  was  no  lining  being  in  the  world  that 
knew  him,  and  the  poor  man  wept  with  sorrow.  He  was  a  stran- 
ger IB  a  strange  cotmtry.  He  went  to  the  minister  who  had  given 
kim  his  freedom,  and  said  ;  '  Sir,  I  can  bear  to  die,  but  to  live  in  a 
world  unknown  and  forlorn,  the  last  human  being  of  my  race,  is 
msupportable  ;  do,  therefore,  send  me  to  my  cell,  that  I  may  finish 
my  days  there  !'  No  blessing  of  Providence  will  be  felt  as  a 
benefit,  nnless  it  be  possessed  by  a  person  for  whom  it  is  adapted. 

"  Impessions  of  a  novel  and  pleasing  kind  soon  lose  their 


APPENDIX.  355 

attraction  j  and  thus  the  honors  which  are  acquired  by  civil  and 
literary  eminence,  quickly  fade  away.  They  are  like  a  beautiful 
cloud  in  the  heavens,  or  a  dew-drop  on  a  leaf,  which  glitters  and 
exhibits  its  beauties  for  a  while,  but  the  fervent  sun  absorbs  both. 
or,  they  are  like  a  gaudy  flower,  which  a  man  fixes  in  his  bosom — 
very  lovely  at  first,  but  its  attractions  soon  vanish.  On  the  other 
hand,  painful  occurrences  leave  but  a  faint  impression.  Although, 
at  first,  a  man  may  be  bowed  down  with  trouble,  yet  he  will  soon 
regain  an  erect  position  and  a  smiling  countenance.  A  few  weeks 
or  months  hide  most  of  our  sorrows  from  us  j  and  this  is  an  emi- 
nent proof  of  the  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  the  Deity :  for  the 
general  amount  of  human  happiness  is  by  this  meauis  more  equally 
divided.  A  state  of  elation  is  temporary,  and  so  is  a  state  of  de- 
pression ;  and  thus,  whether  a  man  rises  or  sinks  in  worldly  pos- 
sessions and  honors,  although  there  wiU  be  some  difierence  in  the 
amount  of  enjoyment,  yet  there  will  be  much  less  than  we  are 
generally  disposed  to  imagine. 

"A  taste  for  novelty  affects  the  engagements  of  society:  it  is 
the  source  of  fashion  ;  it  gives  labor  to  the  mechanic,  to  the  artist, 
and  to  almost  every  man  who  obtains  his  maintenance  by  industry. 
And  thus  there  are  new  buddings,  new  vehicles,  new  machines, 
and  new  methods  of  doing  most  things.  There  are  dresses  of 
various  kinds  the  result  of  ingenuity  and  taste.  One  thing  is  new 
and  attractive,  but  it  soon  becomes  stale,  and  then  we  look  for 
something  novel.  Some  kinds  of  food  are  scarce  and  costly: 
these  are  approved  by  the  great,  but  they  become  plentiful  and 
cheap,  and  then  the  rich  man  looks  for  something  rare,  some  new 
discovery  in  the  art  of  cookery.  The  round  of  pleasures  and 
amusements  is  continually  varying.  Formerly  the  men,  and  even 
the  ladies,  were  delighted  by  exhibitions  of  combats  among  savage 
beasts  —  lions,  elephants,  and  tigers;  they  feasted  their  eyes  on 
the  bloody  combats  of  human  beings  with  each  other,  or  with  bulls 
and  other  furious  animals.  They  attended  dog-fights,  cock-fights, 
and  other  barbarous  diversions.  But  the  taste  has  become  im- 
proved ;  novelty  has  taken  a  praiseworthy  direction  :  boxing, 
wrestling,  and  other  disgraceful  exhibitions,  are  now  transferred  to 
the  vulgar  and  disreputable ;  many  innocent  amusements  have 
been  introduced,  and  these  also  have  been  regulated  by  the 
universal  love  of  novelty.  The  same  variety  has  existed  in  lan- 
guage. A  certain  style  of  speech,  and  certain  phrases,  are  fash 
ionable  in  the  best  society ;  these  are  gradually  introduced  among 
the  lower  ranks,  and  then  the  better  classes  look  for  something 


^66  APPENDIX. 

novel.  Many  words  and  phrases  originally  introduced  for  the 
purpose  of  expressing  things  delicately,  become  vulgar :  terms 
■which  were  primarily  intended  as  a  reproach  become  a  designation 
of  honor,  and  those  once  deemed  honorable  become  reproachful. 

"  The  love  of  novelty  occasions  the  great  variety  of  tunes  which 
we  possess,  and  the  diversity  of  musical  skill.  A  newly-construct- 
ed instrument,  a  new  or  superior  mode  of  performing  on  it,  and 
the  last  new  tune,  are  objects  of  universal  attraction.  The  same 
disposition  arises  with  respect  to  books.  Novelty  has  occasioned 
all  the  variety  which  the  history  of  literature  exhibits,  from  the 
bulky  folio  to  the  penny  pamphlet,  and  the  annual  publication  to 
the  daily  newspaper :  it  has  occasioned,  also,  in  a  great  degree, 
the  multitude  of  opinions  which  have  deluged  the  world.  Some- 
thing new,  as  the  loungers  of  Athens  demanded,  has  been  the 
requirement  of  the  public  in  all  ages.  If  it  be  new,  it  wll  be 
attractive,  and  if  pleasing  or  convenient,  it  will  be  embraced,  and 
then  its  strength  and  consistency  will  soon  be  deemed  demon- 
strated :  but  when  the  writers  on  the  subject,  and  the  readers  of 
those  writings,  become  cool ;  when  reason  takes  the  place  of 
imagination,  then  the  system  will  be  often  discovered  to  be  de- 
fective, the  vapory  faoric  will  fade  away,  and  some  other  will 
obtain  its  place.  We  are  too  frequently  going  round  in  our  prog- 
ress, rather  than  forward.  In  many  respects  we  are  not  much 
farther  advanced  than  the  ancients,  and  yet  we  ought  to  be,  and 
should  be  if  we  had  pursued  a  direct  course. 

"  But  one  of  the  most  pleasing  sources  of  novelty  is  that  which 
the  Almighty  has  given  us  in  the  seasons  of  the  year ;  and  this 
distinctly  shows  us  that  the  love  of  novelty  is  not  only  natural,  but 
it  is  allowable  and  praiseworthy,  if  it  be  regulated  by  reason  ;  for 
the  Great  Creator  himself  indulges  us  in  this  respect.  And  thus 
we  have  all  the  variety  of  summer  and  winter,  of  sultry  and  frosty 
days,  of  clear  and  cloudy  skies  ;  of  the  budding  and  blooming  of 
sprmg,  and  the  richness  and  luxuriance  of  autumn  ;  the  breaking 
forth  of  the  sun  in  the  morning,  and  the  setting  of  that  glorious 
luminary  ;  the  light  of  the  stars ;  the  silvery  splendor  of  the  moon  ; 
the  glare  of  lightnings  and  meteors,  the  rolling  of  thunder,  with 
vapors,  rain,  hail,  and  snow. 

"  The  love  of  novelty  is  injurious  only  when  it  is  carried  beyond 
what  the  Almighty  intended  ;  when  it  does  not  animate  a  person 
to  perform  his  necessary  engagements,  but  carries  him  away  from 
them ;  when  it  makes  him  restless  and  wavering.  Novelty  ac- 
companies man  in  infancy  and  in  youth ;  it  cheers  and  exalts  him 


APPENDIX.  357 

in  the  changing  scenes  of  manhood ;  and  when  we  leave  this  earthly 
sphere,  and  the  soul  bursts  forth  from  its  corporeal  dwelling,  it 
will  fly  upward  to  regions  of  still  greater  novelty,  and  never- 
tailing  interest !" 


D. 

Mr.  Walker,  in  various  places  of  his  work,  calls  the  cerebel  or 
cerebellum,  "the  organ  of  volition,"  and,  at  page  145, he  attributes 
ideas,  emotions,  and  passions,  to  the  cerebrum,  though  he  states 
that  acts  of  the  will  result  from  these.  Now,  if  there  is  any  truth 
established,  it  is  that  the  tinll  is  the  result  of  the  simultaneous  ac- 
tion of  the  higher  intellectual  powers,  and  supposes  attention,  re- 
flection, comparison,  and  judgment,  mental  operations,  which  Mr. 
Walker  himself  attributes  to  the  cerebrum.  Gall  has  made  it  very 
evident,  that  the  will  is  not  the  impulse  that  results  from  the  ac- 
tivity of  a  single  organ,  but  the  concurrent  action  of  many  of  the 
higher  intellectual  faculties  — motives  must  be  weighed,  compared, 
and  judged,  before  there  can  be  any  will,  or  determination  of  mind. 
The  decision  resulting  from  this  determination,  is  called  will.  We 
consider  it  then  proved,  that  there  is  no  particular  organ  of  the 
will.  "  Every  fundamental  faculty,"  says  Dr.  Gall,  "  accompanied 
by  a  clear  notion  of  its  existence,  and  by  reflection,  is  intellect  or 
intelligence.  Each  individual  intelligence,  therefore,  has  its  proper 
organ  ;  but  reason  supposes  the  concerted  action  of  the  higher  fac- 
ulties. It  is  the  judgment  pronounced  by  the  higher  intellectual 
faculties.  A  single  one  of  these,  hoCvever,  could  not  constitute  rea 
son,  which  is  the  compliment,  the  result  of  the  simultaneous  action 
of  all  the  intellectual  faculties.  It  is  reason  that  distinguishes 
man  from  the  brute  ;  intellect  they  have  in  common  to  a  certain 
degree.  There  are  many  intelligent  men,  but  few  reasoning  ones. 
Nature  produces  an  intelligent  man  ;  a  happy  organization,  culti- 
vated by  experience  and  reflection,  forms  the  reasoning  man." 
Nearly  all  physiologists,  deserving  of  the  name,  are  now  united 
in  the  opinion  that  the  cerebellum  is  the  organ  of  amativeness,  as 
well  as  concerned  in  the  regulation  of  voluntary  motion.  "  It  is 
impossible,"  says  Dr.  Spurzheim,  "  to  unite  a  greater  number  of 
proofs  in  demonstration  of  any  natural  truth  than  may  be  present- 
ed to  determine  the  function  of  the  cerebellum."  —  "Mr.  Scott," 
Bays  George  Combe,  "  in  an  excellent  essay  on  the  influence  of 


858  APPENDIX. 

amativeness  oa  the  higher  sentiments  and  intellect,  observes  that  it 
has  been  regarded  by  some  individuals,  as  almost  synonymous 
with  pollution ;  and  the  notion  has  been  entertained,  that  it  cannot 
be  even  approached  without  defilement.  This  mistake  has  origi- 
nated from  attention  being  directed  too  exclusively  to  the  abuses  of 
the  propensity.  Like  everything  that  forms  part  of  the  system  of 
nature,  it  bears  the  stamp  of  wisdom  and  excellence  in  itself,  al- 
though liable  to  abuse.  It  exerts  a  quiet  but  effectual  influence  in 
the  general  intercourse  between  the  sexes,  giving  rise  in  each  to  a 
sort  of  kindly  interest  in  all  concerns  the  other.  This  disposition 
to  mutual  kindness  between  the  sexes,  does  not  arise  from  benevo- 
lence or  adhesiveness,  or  any  other  sentiment  or  propensity  alone ; 
because,  if  such  were  its  sources,  it  would  have  an  equal  effect  in 
the  intercourse  of  the  individuals  of  each  sex  among  themselves, 
which  it  has  not.  '  In  this  quiet  and  unobtrusive  state  of  the  feel- 
ing,' says  Mr.  Scott,  '  there  is  nothing  in  the  least  gross  or  offen- 
sive to  the  most  sensitive  delicacy.  So  far  the  contrary,  that  the 
want  of  some  feeling  of  this  sort  is  required,  wherever  it  appears, 
as  a  very  palpable  defect,  and  a  most  unamiable  trait  in  the  char- 
acter. It  softens  all  the  proud,  irascible,  and  antisocial  principles 
of  our  nature,  in  everything  which  regards  that  sex  which  is  the 
object  of  it ;  and  it  increases  the  activity  and  force  of  all  the  kindly 
and  benevolent  affections.  This  explains  many  facts  which  appear 
in  the  mutual  regards  of  the  sexes  toward  each  other.  Men  are, 
generally  speaking,  more  generous  and  kind,  more  benevolent  and 
charitable,  toward  women,  than  they  are  to  men,  or  than  women 
are  to  one  another.'  The  abuses  of  this  propensity  are  the  sources 
of  innumerable  evils  in  life ;  and  as  the  organ  and  feeling  exist, 
and  produce  an  influence  on  the  mind,  independently  of  external 
communication,  Dr.  Spurzheim  suggests  the  propriety  of  instruct- 
ing young  persons  in  the  consequences  of  its  improper  indulgence 
as  preferable  to  keeping  them  in  a  state  of  ignorance  that  may 
provoke  a  fatal  curiosity,  compromising  in  the  end  their  own  and 
their  descendants'  bodily  and  mental  constitution." 

It  may  be  proper  in  this  place,  to  point  out  some  of  the  anatomi- 
cal differences  of  the  sexes  more  definitely  than  has  been  done  by 
Mr.  Walker,  as  they  are  intimately  connected  with  the  form  and 
contour  of  the  body,  and  must  be  understood  to  appreciate  fully 
the  bearing  of  much  that  is  laid  down  by  our  author : — 


APPENDIX.  359' 

ANATOMICAL  SEXUAL  DIFFERENCES. 

DIGESTIVE   SYSTEM. 

The  stomaxih  is  the  only  portion  of  the  alimentary  canal  which 
presents  sexual  differences.  It  is  larger,  shorter,  and  broader,  in 
the  male ;  smaller,  narrower,  and  longer,  in  the  female.  Its 
muscular  coat,  like  that  in  the  whole  alimentary  canal,  is  generally 
also  thinner  in  the  female. 

OSSEOUS   SYSTEM. 

Riba.  —  The  ribs  of  the  female  are  generally  straighter  than 
those  of  the  male.  The  posterior  segment  unites  sooner  with  the 
anterior;  its  curve  differs  less  from  that  of  the  last,  and  disappears 
sooner  in  the  female  ;  hence,  the  chest  is  narrower.  The  ribs  are 
usually  thinner ;  hence,  the  edges  are  sharper.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, this  is  far  from  being  true.  Their  length  is  nearly  the  same  ; 
but  according  to  Mechel,  the  length  of  the  two  upper  ribs  is  pro- 
portionally, and  when  the  subject  is  short,  absolutely  greater  in 
the  female  than  in  the  male. 

Clavicle.  —  The  clavicle  is  generally  straighter,  and  proportion- 
ably  smaller  in  the  female  than  in  the  male.  The  greater  straight- 
ness  depends  particularly  on  the  lesser  curve  of  its  external  portion, 
while  in  man  it  extends  far  backward,  and  then  comes  forward. 
The  internal  anterior  half  presents  nearly  the  same  curve  in  both 
sexes.  The  clavicle  of  the  female  is  rounder  than  that  of  the  male ; 
we  however  find  clavicles  of  females  perfectly  like  those  of  males, 
and  vice  versa.  Sometimes,  of  the  two  clavicles  in  the  same  body, 
one  is  constructed  in  the  type  of  the  male,  and  the  other  in  that  of 
the  female. 

Pelvis.  —  The  chief  points  of  difference  between  the  male  and 
female  skeleton,  beside  the  disparity  in  the  size  and  the  greater 
smoothness  of  the  bones,  lie  in  the  pelvis.  In  the  female  this  is 
less  strong  and  thick,  and  contains  less  osseous  matter  than  that  of 
the  male.  In  the  female,  the  arch  of  the  pubis  is  much  the  great- 
est, and  the  long  diameter  of  the  brim  of  the  pelvis  is  from  side  to 
side  ;  in  the  male  it  is  from  before  backward ;  in  the  female,  the 
brim  is  more  of  the  oval  shape,  in  the  male  more  triangular  ;  in  the 
female,  the  ilia  are  more  distant ;  the  tuberosities  of  the  ischia  are 
also  more  remote  from  each  other,  and  from  the  os  coccygis,  and  as 
these  three  points  are  farther  apart,  the  notches  between  them  are 
consequently  wider,  and  there  is  of  necessity  a  considerably  great- 
er space  between  the  os  coccygis  and  pubis  than  in  the  male.  The 
female  sacrum  is  broader  and  less  curved  than  in  the  other  sex. 


360  APPEKDIX. 

The  ligamentous  cartil^e  at  the  symphysis  pubis  is  broader  and 
shorter.  In  consequence  of  the  cavity  of  the  pelvis  being  wider  in 
woman,  the  superior  articulations  of  their  thigh  bones  are  farther 
removed  from  each  other,  which  circumstance  occasions  their  pe- 
culiarity in  walking  ;  they  seem  to  require  a  greater  efTort  than 
men  to  preserve  the  centre  of  gravity,  when  the  leg  is  raised ; 
owing  to  the  greater  length  of  the  crural  arch,  there  is  less  resist- 
ance to  the  pressure  of  the  abdominal  viscera ;  consequently  fe- 
males are  more  subject  to  femoral  hernia  than  males.  The  angle 
of  union  of  the  ossa  pubis  in  the  male  is  from  sixty  to  eighty  de- 
gfrees,  whereas,  in  the  female  it  is  ninety  degrees.  The  mean 
height  of  the  male,  at  the  period  of  maturity,  is  about  five  feet 
eight  and  a  half  inches,  and  that  of  the  female  about  five  feet  five 
inches ;  a  well-formed  pelvis  has  a  circumference  equal  to  one- 
fourth  of  the  height  of  the  female. 

OKGAN   OF  VOICE. 

The  larynx  is  one  of  the  organs  which  presents  most  manifestly 
the  differences  of  sex.  That  of  the  female  is  usually  one  third,  zuid 
sometimes  one  half  smaller  than  that  of  the  male :  all  its  constitu- 
ent cartilages  are  much  thinner ;  the  thyroid  cartilage  also  is  even 
flatter,  because  its  two  lateral  halves  unite  at  a  less  acute  angle. 
Hence  the  reason  why  the  larynx  in  the  male  forms  at  the  upper 
part  of  the  neck  a  prominence  which  is  not  visible  in  the  female. 
The  glottis  in  the  iemale  is  much  smaller  than  in  the  male,  and 
the  vocal  cords  are  shorter.  These  sexual  differences  do  not  appear 
till  puberty  ;  until  then  the  larynx  has  precisely  the  same  form  in 
the  two  sexes,  and  consequently  the  voice  is  nearly  the  same  in 
both.    In  eunuchs  it  is  small  as  in  females. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  BEAUTY  OF 
FORM. 

A  very  ingenious  Physiological  explanation  of  the  beauty  of 
form,  has  been  suggested  by  Professor  B.  T.  Joslin,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  city  of  New  York,  which  is  published  in  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society  for  1836.  As  this 
theory  is  characterized  by  great  originality  and  genius,  and  but 
little  known,  we  shall  present  our  readers  with  some  extracts 
from  the  Essay,  calculated  to  elucidate  the  views  of  the  talented 
author. 

Speaking  of  material  objects,  not  including  the  human  form,  Dr. 
J.  remarks : — 


APPENDIX.  361 

"  There  is  in  objects  a  kind  of  beauty  which  is  intrinsic  and 
physical,  which  belongs  to  them  in  every  association,  and  whether 
at  rest  or  in  motion  ;  such  is  the  beauty  of  color,  and  that  of  con- 
figuration. The  contemplation  of  the  beauty  of  coloring  and  of 
form  gives  physical  pleasure,  i.  e.,  physical  as  opposed  to  mental, 
but  physiological  as  opposed  to  physical.  Employing  physical  in 
its  comprehensive  sense,  I  say  that  this  physical  pleasure  attending 
vision  is  of  two  distinct  kinds;  1st,  that  which  depends  on  the 
character  of  the  impression  on  the  retina,  and  consequently  on  the 
intensity  and  nature  of  the  light ;  and  2dly,  that  which  depends 
upon  the  form  of  the  object,  and,  consequently,  on  the  muscular 
actions  employed  in  tracing  its  outlines.  As  the  latter  constitutes 
the  proper  subject  of  this  essay,  I  shall  dismiss  the  former  with  a 
single  remark. 

"  Some  colors  are  more  agreeable  than  others,  but  these  differ 
with  different  eyes,  and  with  the  nature  of  the  color  to  which  the 
eyes  have  been  previously  exposed.  A  bluish  green  relieves  the 
eye  when  over-excited  with  red,  and  a  mild  red  is  agreeable  after 
the  protracted  action  of  intense  green ;  and  in  general,  the  com- 
plementary colors  are  most  agreeable  in  succession.  Again,  it  is 
well  known,  that  no  kind  of  light  is  painful,  unless  excessively 
vivid  ;  we  are  pleased  with  a  mild  radiance  in  objects  of  every  hue, 
from  the  whiteness  of  the  moon  to  the  crimson  of  the  setting  sun. 
But  is  there  no  other  physical  property  by  which  these  luminaries 
directly  contribute  to  the  gratification  of  taste  ?  It  is  true  that 
light,  abstractedly  from  all  objects  is  agreeable,  and  agreeable  on 
the  same  principle  that  sweetness  is  to  the  taste,  i.  e.,  from  the 
mere  character  of  the  nervous  impression.  But  this  is  a  pleasure 
merely  passive,  and  in  an  active  being  it  is,  perhaps,  on  that  ac- 
count, one  grade  lower  than  the  gratification  afforded  by  the 
beauty  of  form,  and  is  more  allied  to  the  gross  pleasure  of  literal 
taste.  Hence,  we  scarcely  employ  a  figurative  expression,  in  de- 
claring that  light  is  sweet.  But  the  highest  degree  of  physical 
gratification  is  not  enjoyed  by  the  eye,  unless  this  agreeable  ex- 
citant proceeds  from  an  object  of  beautiful  form.  "  Light  is 
sweet,"  but  "  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  for  the  eyes  to  behold  the  sun." 
What  is  the  source  of  this  additional  pleasure  which  we  receive, 
when  light  proceeds  either  by  radiation  or  reflection  from  regular 
curvilinear  objects  ? 

"  I  shall  offer  what  I  believe  to  be  an  original  and  satisfactory 
explanation  of  the  beauty  of  form,  on  principles  purely  physiologi- 
cal.  It  is  based  on  the  proposition,  that  the  action  of  every  muscle 
31 


362  APPENDIX. 

is  attended  with  a  sensation  which  is  at  first  agreeable,  but 
which,  if  the  action  is  continued  for  a  short  time  with  intensity,  and 
without  intermission,  becomes  painful.  That  there  is  pleasure 
attending  those  Taried  motions  which  depend  upon  ihe  actions  of 
different  muscles  in  succession  after  intervals  of  rest  in  each,  we 
know  from  our  owni  consciousness  as  well  as  from  that  instinctive 
propensity  to  play  which  we  observe  in  children  and  young  animals. 
That  the  prolonged  action  of  a  muscle  is  painful,  we  may  readily 
convince  ourselves  by  endeavoring  to  hold  the  arm  for  some  time 
at  right  angles  with  the  erect  trunk.  With  the  arm  in  this  posi- 
tion, a  pound  weight  on  the  hand  or  even  the  weight  of  the  arm 
itself  becomes  m  a  few  minutes  almost  insupportable.  We  pre- 
sently begin  to  feel  pain  in  the  shoulder  and  anterior  part  of  the 
arm,  the  former  from  fatigue  of  those  muscles  which  originate 
from  the  scapula  and  keep  the  os  humeri  elevated,  and  the  latter 
from  fatigue  of  the  muscles  which  originate  from  the  scapula  and 
OS  humeri,  whose  muscular  fibres  arc  in  front  of  the  os  humeri  and 
by  their  contraction  elevate  the  fore-arm  in  consequence  of  their 
tendinous  attachment  to  its  bones.  Yet  a  man  may  labor  all  day 
with  his  arms  without  this  painful  sensation ;  because  a  muscle 
requires  but  a  momentary  rest,  in  order  to  regain  that  degree  of 
energ}'  which  is  momentarily  lost  by  action. 

"None  but  an  anatomist  can  duly  appreciate  the  variety  of 
separate  actions,  on  which  depend  the  motions  of  a  single  limb, 
and  the  consequently  numerous  opportunities  of  rest  which  the 
muscles  enjoy.  To  the  superficial  and  unscientific  observer,  an. 
arm  is  an  arm  ;  it  is  a  single  member  which  may  be  fatigued  by  a 
day's  work  and  recruited  by  a  night's  rest.  But  to  the  anatomist 
the  arm  is  a  complex  object,  and  its  muscular  energy  is  that  of  its 
component  muscles,  each  of  which  may  be  fatigued  by  a  minute's 
action  and  recruited  by  a  minute's  repose.  It  would  be  easy  to 
extend  this  farther,  and  state  jeasons  for  believing  that  the  com- 
ponent  fasciculi  and  fibres  of  an  individual  muscle  act  still  more 
transiently,  and  that  their  momentary  and  successive  actions  con- 
stitute the  action  of  a  single  muscle. 

"  But  waiving  this  refinement,  it  will  be  sufficient  for  our  pur- 
pose to  consider  a  single  muscle  as  having  a  simple  action,  an  ac- 
tion which  cannot  be  sustained  with  uniformity  a  minute  of  time 
without  actual  pain,  nor  a  second  of  time  with  positive  pleasure. 
This,  however,  is  not  to  be  understood  as  an  attempt  to  fix  these 
limits  with  precision.  To  express  the  law  in  more  general  terms, 
as  we  diminish  the  duration  of  a  muscle's  action  we  diminish  the 


APPENDIX.  363 

pain  until  we  arrive  at  an  action  whose  attendant  sensation  is 
neutral,  i.  e.,  neither  painful  nor  pleasurable  ;  as  soon  as  we  have 
passed  that  point  and  have  begun  to  execute  motions  a  little  more 
transient,  the  attendant  sensation  becomes  positively  pleasurable, 
and  the  pleasure  increases  as  the  separate  actions  become  more 
transient.  It  is  not  necessary  to  infer  that  there  is  attending  each 
action  of  shorter  duration  a  pleasure  exceeding  that  which  attends 
each  action  of  greater  duration ;  for  the  more  transient  actions 
are,  in  a  given  time,  more  numerous  ;  so  that  with  the  same  amount 
of  pleasure  for  each  muscular  contraction,  the  amount  of  pleasu- 
rable sensation  in  a  given  time  —  say  a  second  —  would  exceed  the 
amount  attending  the  less  frequent  and  more  prolonged  actions  in 
the  same  period :  a  greater  number  of  separate  impressions  be- 
come—  so  to  speak  —  crowded  together  and  condensed,  and  thus 
produce  a  more  vivid  pleasure.  Several  contiguous  impressions 
thus  conspire  to  heighten  the  contemporaneous  effect,  inasmuch  as 
"we  are  unable  to  distinguish  those  impressions  which  are  made  at 
very  short  intervals  on  the  muscular  sense,  any  more  than  we  are 
those  made  at  very  short  intervals  on  the  retina.  We  have  an  ex- 
ample of  the  latter  in  the  familiar  experiment  of  swinging  a  coal  of 
fire  in  a  circle,  and  in  various  optical  instruments  for  combining 
colors  and  images. 

"  The  proposition  which  I  have  endeavored  to  establish  is,  that 
there  is  a  neutral  point  to  which,  if  constant  action  is  prolonged, 
its  pleasurable  character  begins  to  be  reversed ;  that  the  vividness 
of  the  sensation  increases  with  the  distance  from  this  point,  being 
on  the  one  side  pleasurable,  on  the  other  painful ;  the  more  tran- 
sient the  actions  are,  the  more  pleasurable  ;  the  more  prolonged 
they  are,  the  more  painful. 

"  I  am  of  opinion  that  this  physiological  principle  is  susceptible 
of  interesting  applications  to  a  class  of  pleasures,  which  metaphy- 
sicians have  regarded  as  exclusively  mental,  and  dependant  upon 
certain  supposed  ultimate  principles  of  the  constitution  of  mind, 
principles  not  resolvable  into  others  more  elementary.  As  physi- 
ology shall  advance,  it  may  be  expected  that  many  of  these  imagi- 
nary elements  will  yield  to  its  searching  analysis.  Whether  the 
writer  has  been  so  fortunate  as  to  resolve  any  of  the  generally  ad- 
mitted elements  of  mental  taste,  the  reader  will  be  able  to  judge 
from  the  sequel. 

As  preparatory  to  the  consideration  of  the  beauty  of  form,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  gracefulness  of 
motion.    Although  this  has  been  vaguely  and  in  part  referred  to 


364  APPENDIX. 

ease  of  execution,  yet,  the  physiological  principle  on  -A'hich  ease 
of  execution  depends,  not  having  been  clearly  understood  and  dis- 
tinctly stated,  the  gracefulness  of  all  motions  could  not  be  referred 
to  their  true  source.  Thus,  writers  on  taste  have  been  under  the 
necessity  of  admitting,  as  a  distinct  and  independent  source  of 
gracefulness,  the  curvilinear  direction  of  motions,  and  have  been 
able  to  generalize  this  fact  no  farther  than  by  referring  it  to  the 
beauty  of  curved  forms,  which  beauty  was  considered  an  ultimate 
fact.  In  applying  the  principles  above  developed,  to  the  explana- 
tion of  the  pleasure  or  pain  attending  the  contemplation  of  particu- 
lar motions,  we  shall  defer  for  the  present  the  investigation  of  the 
intrinsic  beauty  of  curved  motions,  which  is  the  same  as  that  oi 
curved  lines,  and  assume  that  in  general  those  motions  which  are 
physically  pleasurable  to  the  agent  are  agreeable  to  the  observer. 
The  pleasure  or  pain  of  the  agent  will  engage  the  sympathy  of  the 
observer  ;  for  he  associates  the  observed  action  with  his  owti  ex- 
perience. To  make  a  single  application,  suppose  a  public  speaker 
extend  his  arm  horizontally  and  move  it  slowly  in  a  horizontal  po- 
sition, through  one  third  of  a  circle.  This  motion  would  not  ap- 
pear graceful.  That  it  would  not  be  performed  with  perfect  ease, 
any  one  might  prove  by  experiment.  The  principal  difficulty  is  m. 
preserving  for  a  long  time  the  horizontal  position." 

"  In  the  ordinary  state  of  the  muscular  system,  and  within  certain 
limits,  the  motion  of  the  eye  in  any  direction  is  pleasurable. 
Whenever  the  power  of  directing  the  eye  is  acquired,  the  tracing 
of  a  line  will,  to  a  certain  extent  and  for  a  certain  time,  afford  some 
degree  of  positive  pleasure  ;  in  other  words,  any  short  line  will 
possess  some  degree  of  positive  beauty,  and  the  infant  becomes 
conscious  of  an  emotion  of  which  he  was  previously  ignorant  — 
the  emotion  of  beauty  of  form.  A  point  awakens  no  such  emotion ; 
it  never  will ;  it  can  possess  no  beauty.  It  must  be  recollected, 
that  this  has  been  restricted  to  minute  points  of  inappreciable 
form.  Circular  dots  will  be  considered  under  the  head  of  figures. 
The  colorific  property  of  a  dot  as  compared  with  that  of  the  grornd 
on  which  it  is  placed,  may  afford  that  kind  of  ocular  pleasure 
which  is  foreign  to  the  present  inquiry. 

"  From  points  as  compared  with  lines,  we  naturally  proceed  to 
lines  as  compared  with  each  other. 

"  When  the  head  is  erect,  in  examining  a  straight  horizontal  line 
we  employ  one  of  the  lateral  recti ;  if  the  line  be  vertical  we  em- 
ploy the  rectus  inferior  or  superior.  In  either  case,  but  one  muscle 
acts,  and  that  continuously.    The  muscle  is  not  relieved,  and  its 


APPENDIX.  36$ 

action  is  not  attended  with  the  maximum  amount  of  pleasurable 
sensation.  When  the  vision  has  been  extended  along  the  whole 
line,  if  we  then  immediately  proceed  to  examine  it  in  the  opposite 
direction,  the  opposite  rectus  must  at  one  exert  a  force  sufficient  to 
overcome  the  momentum  of  the  eyeball,  and  then  exert  a  continu- 
ous action.  Both  these  circumstances  are  unfavorable  to  pleasure. 
If  the  line  is  oblique,  one  lateral  together  with  one  inferior  or  one 
superior  muscle  is  exerted,  and  the  same  principles  which  have 
been  applied  to  the  single  muscles,  apply  to  the  muscles  acting  in 
pairs. 

"  The  Beauty  of  Curved  Lines.  —  As  from  the  foregoing  analy- 
sis of  the  vision  of  straight  lines  in  general,  it  results  that  they  are 
deficient  in  the  elements  of  ocular  agreeableness,  in  other  words, 
of  beauty ;  little  more  need  be  said  of  regular  and  gentle  curves, 
than  that  the  survey  of  them  is  not  attended  with  the  abovemen- 
tioned  disadvantages.  In  viewing  a  regular  curve,  no  muscle  of 
the  eyeball  acts  continuously  and  uniformly,  but  enjoys  partial  re- 
lief by  remissions,  or  total  relief  by  intermissions  of  its  action ;  and 
the  regularity  of  these  remissions  and  intermissions,  as  well  as  the 
equal  distribution  of  exercise,  is  promoted  by  the  regularity  of  the 
curve.  Acting  in  succession,  the  muscles  afford  mutual  relief  after 
actions  of  such  short  duration  and  variable  intensity,  as  to  afford 
positive  pleasure  ;  and  in  this  muscular  pleasure  of  the  eye  con- 
sists the  beauty  of  configuration. 

"  The  successive  and  accurate  survey  of  distant  points  is  not, 
however,  invariably  requisite  to  a  degree  of  similar  pleasure,  in 
viewing  a  figure  of  such  small  angular  extent  as  to  be  instantly 
recognised  by  one  location  of  its  image,  as  analogous  to  a  larger  one 
whose  survey  has  directly  afforded  muscular  pleasure.  Although 
I  thus  recognise  the  influence  of  association,  the  facts  of  this  very 
case  afford  an  interesting  confirmation  of  the  physiological  theory ; 
for  a  large  circle  or  ellipse  is  more  beautiful  than  one  of  diminu- 
tive size.  The  beauty  of  the  one  is  original,  its  influence  is  direct ; 
the  beauty  of  the  other  is  in  part  borrowed,  and  this  part  is  weak- 
ened by  reflection.  Or,  to  express  it  more  literally,  the  one  ex- 
cites a  pleasurable  sensation,  the  other  suggests  a  similar  idea ; 
the  one  affords  a  perception,  the  other  a  conception,  of  beauty. 
Such,  even  with  similar  color  and  brilliancy,  would  be  the  difference 
between  the  full  moon  and  a  circular  dot  (■)  or  period  ;  such  the 
difference  between  a  rainbow  and  a  diminutive  arc  (^,  a-  short 
accent  inverted.  Here  the  critic  might  be  inclined  to  charge  us 
with  confounding  the  beautiful  with  the  sublime.  But  the  fact  is, 
31* 


366  APPENDIX. 

tliat  criticism  has  constructed  the  sublime  —  as  it  has  the  beanti> 
fill  —  from  heterogeneous  materials,  one  of  which  is  identical  with 
one  of  the  elements  of  beauty,  and  should,  in  a  physiological  ar- 
rangement, be  referred  to  the  same  class.  In  many  instances  a 
magnifying  instrument  will  disclose  minute  irregularities  and  blem- 
ishes ;  but  in  every  other  case,  physiology  would  show,  that,  with- 
in certam  limits,  to  magnify  a  beautiful  object  is  to  magnify  beauty. 

"  The  foregoing  statements  of  general  principles  preclude  the 
necessity  of  minute  details  in  relation  to  particular  curves.  I  shall 
at  present  consider  those  which  do  not  return  into  themselves,  so 
as  to  constitute  the  outlines  of  figures  in  the  geometrical  sense. 
Let  us  first  select  a  semi-circumference,  for  example,  that  of  a 
rainbow  of  maximum  dimensions.  In  tracing  it  once,  we  employ 
three  out  of  the  four  muscles.  They  are  brought  into  action  suc- 
cessively and  rapidly,  but  not  abruptly.  All  these  circumstances 
are  favorable  to  pleasure.  Yet  they  are  not  conducive  to  it  in  the 
highest  possible  degree  ;  for  each  muscle  acts  only  once  unless  the 
examination  be  repeated;  and  in  case  of  its  repetition,  the  momen- 
tum of  the  eyeball  is  destroyed  in  stopping  and  reversing  its  mo- 
tion. The  waving  line,  as  Hogarth's  line  of  beauty,  obviates  the 
first  difiiculty.  This  ensures  not  only  the  successive  action  of  dif- 
ferent muscles,  but  a  repetition  of  action  in  the  same.  If  the  line 
forms  a  number  of  equal  waves,  these  repetitions  will  be  propor- 
tional to  the  number  of  waves,  and  will  alternately  and  totally  re- 
lieve, at  least  two  muscles,  and  allow,  in  the  action  of  a  third, 
regular  remissions  of  intensity  at  equal  intervals.  We  have  proved 
then,  that  on  this  physiological  theory,  a  semi-circumference  pos- 
sesses more  of  the  elements  of  beauty  than  any  straight  line,  and  a 
regular-waved  line  more  than  either.  These  results  are  conforma- 
ble to  experience.  If  there  is  any  difficulty  in  admitting  this,  it  will 
vanish  on  comparing  the  ocular  with  other  muscles. 

"  Let  us  select  a  joint,  which,  in  its  spherical  form,  and  the  cir- 
cular arrangement  of  its  muscles,  is  analogous  to  the  eye  ;  for  ex- 
ample, the  shoulder  joint.  I  think  it  will  be  uniformly  found,  that 
in  the  use  of  this  joint,  the  curves  most  readily  traced,  are  those 
of  gentle  and  nearly  equal  curvature,  and  being  such  as  are  most 
easily  traced  by  the  eye,  they  would  appear  more  beautiful  than 
those  drawn  by  the  fingers  with  the  same  education.  For  example, 
let  a  man,  without  bending  his  wrist  or  elbow,  draw  various  lines 
with  a  light  stick  or  cane  on  the  surface  of  snow  :  the  lines  most 
easily  drawn  (or  most  easily  traced  if  already  drawn) ,  will  be 
curves  of  considerable  beauty,  and  nearly  equal  curvature  ;  such 


APPENDIX.  367 

a3  waved  lines  and  spirals  and  looped  curves.  Circles  and  ellipses 
would  also  be  among  the  figures  with  most  facility  and  precision 
traced,  and  especially  in  cases  of  repeated  tracing  ;  but  we  are  not 
at  present  considering  figures  in  the  proper  geometrical  sense  of 
the  term.  In  writing  letters  by  the  above  method,  a  succession  of 
'e's,  would  be  more  readily  drawn  than  a  succession  of  'i's,  or  a 
zigzag  line  with  acute  angles. 

"  To  institute  a  fair  comparison  between  terminated  lines  and 
figures,  the  component  lines  of  the  figures  should  be  as  beautiful 
as  the  terminated  lines  with  which  they  are  compared.  With  this 
precaution,  physiology  will  conduct  to  the  conclusion,  that  figures 
are  more  beautiful  than  terminated  lines.  For  the  survey  of  any 
figure  requires  the  successive  action  of  all  these  ocular  muscles, 
and  a  repeated  survey  requires  no  reversal  of  the  motion. 

"  AVe  may  apply  the  same  principles  to  figures  as  compared  with 
each  other.  Here  we  shall  find  the  advantage  on  the  side  of  those 
which  are  geometrically  regular.  We  perceive  that  the  cifcle  and 
ellipse  must  possess  in  great  perfection  the  essentials  of  beauty. 

"From  figures,  the  transition  is  natural  and  easy  to  solids  or 
bodies  of  three  dimensions.  The  form  of  a  body  depends  on  those 
of  all  its  faces  and  sections  ;  and  these  last  are  plane  figures. 
The  elliptical  sections  of  a  regular  spheroid  are  all  highly  beauti- 
ful, but  its  sections  are  not  all  elliptical.  Unless  the  spheroid  be 
in  certain  positions,  the  sphere  possesses  still  higher  beauty,  as 
presenting  the  same  circular  and  highly  beautiful  outline  in  every 
position ;  although  a  variety  of  positions  is  not  essential  to  the 
perception  of  its  peculiar  beauty,  whenever  the  observer  has 
learned  by  difierent  methods,  and  especially  by  difierent  degrees 
of  convergence  of  the  two  optic  axes,  to  estimate  the  relative  dis- 
tances of  the  different  points  of  the  visible  hemisphere,  and  thus 
to  recognise  the  spherical  form.  I  will  only  add,  from  the  analj''- 
sis  of  the  beauty  of  the  circle  it  is  evident,  that  within  certain 
limits,  to  magnify  a  sphere  is  to  magnify  its  beauty. 

"  The  relative  beauty  of  the  sphere  and  spheroid,  and  of  the 
spheroid  as  compared  with  itself  in  difl^erent  positions,  is  modified 
by  symmetry.  The  principle  of  s5-mmetry,  is  in  some  measure 
distinct  from  any  other  heretofore  considered.  It  may  be  treated 
under  the  heads  of  1st,  geometrical  symmetry,  or  symmetry  of 
form;  2d,  of  symmetry  of  position. 

"  Symmetry  of  form,  though  implied  in  geometrical  regularity, 
is  not  identical  with  it,  and  requires  a  separate  consideration.  The 
beauty  of  forms  geometrically  symmetrical,  in  contradistinction 


368  APPENDIX. 

from  those  deficient  in  the  correspondence  of  opposite  halves,  de- 
pends upon  two  similar  series  of  actions  in  different  pairs  or 
muscles.  For  example,  the  survey  of  an  ovate  leaf,  or  indeed 
that  of  almost  any  vegetable  leaf — so  numerous  are  the  provisions 
for  our  gratification  —  requires  for  its  opposite  halves  two  series  of 
muscular  actions,  the  difierent  parts  of  the  one  corresponding 
with  those  of  the  other  in  duration,  intensity,  and  order  of  suc- 
cession. The  gratification  in  this  case  results  from  the  harmony 
of  muscular  sensations  individually  pleasurable.  The  agreeable- 
ness  of  this  harmony  may  depend  upon  a  principle  more  psyeolo- 
gical  than  that  of  the  agreeableness  of  its  elementarj-  sensations. 
Yet-the  former  is  to  a  certain  extent  susceptible  of  a  physiological 
generalization.  This  harmony  would  probably  have  been  impaired 
by  any  considerable  inequality  in  the  distances  between  the  points 
of  insertion  of  the  recti  muscles,  or  in  the  strength  of  the  antag- 
onists. It  is  a  curious  coincidence,  that  in  both  these  respects,  these 
muscles  are  more  nearly  symmetrical  than  any  others  in  the  hu- 
man body.  Physiologj-,  then,  explains,  not  only  the  agreeableness 
of  the  elementary  sensations,  which  give  rise  to  the  perception  of 
beauty  in  regular  curves,  but  unfolds  the  provisions  for  two  similar 
series  of  such  sensations,  not  only  in  figures  simply  regular,  but  in 
those  which  are  simply  symmetrical,  and  in  those  which  are  both 
sv'mmetrical  and  regular.  The  principles  of  muscular  action  ex- 
plain the  agreeableness  of  a  rapid  succession  of  varied  actions 
equally  distributed  among  the  muscles,  and  the  structure  of  the 
optical  apparatus  explains  why  the  curvature  and  regularity  of  an 
object  require  such  actions  in  vision.  Again,  we  discover  in  the 
symmetrical  structure  and  arrangement  of  the  ocular  muscles,  a 
provision  for  two  similar  series  of  pleasurable  sensations  in  the 
survey  of  a  symmetrical  figure,  in  whatever  position  it  may  be 
placed,  provided  it  retains  its  symmetry  with  respect  to  some 
Tisual  plane.  The  coincidence  between  the  location  of  the  ocular 
muscles  diametrically  opposite,  on  the  one  hand,  and  our  propen- 
sity to  compare  the  opposite  halves  of  bodies,  and  the  pleasure 
afibrded  by  their  similarity  on  the  other  hand,  is  curious,  and  to  a 
certain  extent  aflTords  a  physiological  explanation  of  the  beauty  of 
symmetrical  forms. 

"  The  same  principles  which  apply  to  the  beauty  of  form  of 
inanimate  objects  are  applicable  to  the  paths  described  by  them 
in  motion.  The  intrinsic  beauty  of  their  motions  is  exclusively 
referrible  to  sensations  in  the  ocular  muscles  of  the  observer, 


APPENDIX. 


369 


while  the  gracefulness  of  human  motions  is  referrible  in  part  to 
these,  and  in  part  to  sensations  in  other  muscles. 

"  It  would  be  foreign  to  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir,  to 
consider  the  beauty  of  expression  of  the  human  countenance  ;  al- 
though this  species  of  beauty  is  in  a  great  degree  referrible  to  mus- 
cular action.  That  muscular  action  which  belongs  to  the  present 
topic  is  not  that  of  the  object,  but  that  of  the  observer.  It  may 
be  scarcely  necessary  again  to  disclaim  any  design  of  giving  a 
complete  analysis  of  beauty  in  general,  or  to  repeat  the  concession 
that  man's  notions  of  beauty  are  modified  by  various  associations. 

"  Final  Cause. — The  benevolence  of  the  Author  of  nature  is  stri- 
kingly manifested  in  connecting  present  pleasure  with  obedience  to 
the  natural  laws.  It  has  been  shown  that  vision  is  attended  with 
muscular  action  which  is  generally  pleasurable.  If  seeing  had  re- 
quired no  muscular  action,  we  should  have  wanted  one  of  onr 
present  stimuli  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  This  stimulus  is 
especially  necessary  in  infancy,  and  then  powerfully  prompts  to 
observation,  even  anterior  to  the  dawnings  of  intellectual  curiosity, 
with  which  it  subsequently  co-operates.  We  see,  in  this  arrange- 
ment, the  exemplification  of  a  principle  which  extensively  pervades 
the  laws  under  which  we  are  placed  by  the  Creator  —  which  is, 
that  mental  attainments,  as  well  as  other  acquisitions,  shall  re- 
quire  action ;  and  that  action  shall  be  attended  with  pleasure. 
Whether  the  acquisition  is  to  be  made  by  the  manual  labor  of  the 
artisan,  by  the  manipulations  of  the  artist,  the  chymist,  or  the  ex- 
perimental philosopher,  by  the  sedentary  student  of  books,  or  by 
the  observer  of  natural  phenomena  in  his  original  survey  of  the 
universe  —  in  every  case  it  is  muscular  action. 

"  This  application  to  natural  theology,  has  thus  far  had  reference 
to  that  degree  of  intrinsic  agrceableness  which  is  common  to  forms 
in  general.  But  the  laws  of  nature  specially  tend  to  the  production  of 
curved,  regular,  and  symmetrical  objects  and  motions,  in  inorganic 
vegetable  and  animal  bodies  ;  and  impose  the  necessity  of  similar 
forms  in  artificial  structures.  With  a  diflTerent  structure  and  ar- 
rangement of  the  ocular  muscles,  those  forms  peculiarly  condu- 
cive to  our  welfare  and  that  of  the  universe,  had  possessed  no 
peculiar  attractions ;  and  we  had  felt  no  special  impulse  of  this 
kind  to  conform  our  own  artificial  structures  to  those  laws  of  na- 
ture, or  to  investigate  many  of  the  most  important  works  of  the 
Creator.  Yet  neither  gravity  or  any  other  law  of  the  external 
world  could  have  determined  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  mus- 
cles of  the  human  eye.    We  must,  therefore,  refer  their  actual 


370  APPENDIX. 

Structure  and  location  to  that  Being  who  gives  to  the  objects  o{ 
his  creative  power,  and  to  the  principles  bj'  which  he  governs  them, 
such  a  mutual  adaptation  as  conduces  to  the  greatest  achievable 
good.  Thus,  while  muscular  pleasure  originally  prompts  to  the 
observation  of  the  Creator's  works,  this  observation  is  rewarded  and 
subsequently  prompted  by  a  pleasure  of  an  incomparably  higher 
order,  of  a  character  purely  mental,  by  the  discovery  of  moral 
beauty,  which  in  rank  and  refinement  surpasses  all  others.  Still, 
the  muscular  pleasure  of  the  eye  strongly  incites  to  the  examina- 
tion of  the  numberless  forms  of  beauty  in  the  organic  and  inorgan* 
ic  kingdoms,  such  as  the  symmetrical  leaf,  the  bending  bough,  the 
symmetry  of  the  tree  itself,  that  of  inferior  animals,  and  of  the 
human  form.  Or  we  may  extend  our  view  to  the  circular  or  undu- 
lating horizon,  the  apparent  limits  of  the  apparently  round  world ; 
or  we  may  elevate  the  eyes  to  the  arched  dome  of  the  firmament, 
on  which  the  arches  of  the  iris  and  aurora  occasionally  confer  ad- 
ditional beauty.  Or  with  the  telescope  we  may  pierce  this  appa- 
rent limit  of  upward  vision,  and  discover  bejxnd  it  a  universe  of 
spherical  and  spheroidal  worlds,  revolving  in  circular  and  elliptical 
orbits,  worlds  and  orbits  which  present,  even  in  our  diminutive 
diagrams,  a  high  order  of  beauty,  designed  to  incite  us  to  the  con- 
templation of  these  most  magnificent  works  of  the  Creator. 

'  All  this  beauty  had  been  lost  to  man,  but  for  the  property  of  the 
eye,  which,  on  a  superficial  reflection,  might  seem  a  defect.  It  is 
no  less  true  than  paradoxical,  that  the  perception  of  these  beauties 
depends  on  indistinctness  of  vision.  To  a  being  so  constituted  as 
to  see  with  equal  distinctness  by  oblique  and  direct  vision,  the  same 
forms  might  be  presented,  but  not  as  forms  of  beauty.  Has  the 
Creator,  then,  sacrificed  a  portion  of  our  perceptive  powers  to  our 
sensual  gratification  ?  I  answer  no.  Has  he,  then,  sacrificed  a  por- 
tion of  our  direct  means  of  acquiring  knowledge,  to  afford  an  in- 
citement which  should  ultimately  and  indirectly  enhance  our  at- 
tainments? Again  I  am  compelled  to  answer  in  the  negative. 
There  is,  in  this  arrangement,  no  intellectual  sacrifice  whatever, 
direct  or  indirect.  This  indistinctness  of  oblique  vision,  which 
might  seem  a  defect,  I  consider  an  excellence.  A  simultaneous  and 
distinct  impression  received  from  the  whole  field  of  vision,  would 
distract  the  attention  and  preclude  a  minute  and  accurate  examina- 
tion of  any  particular  part.  But  as  our  ej-es  are  so  constituted  as 
to  receive  a  strong  and  distinct  impression  only  from  the  images 
of  those  objects  toward  which  their  axes  are  directed,  and  as  our 
minds  are  so  constituted  that  we  can  in  a  great  measure  neglect 


APPENDIX.  371 

the  weaker  or  less  distinct  impressions,  we  are  able  to  acquire  a 
more  exact  knowledge  of  any  part  of  the  field  to  which  we  choose 
to  attend.  To  see  every  thing  at  once,  would  be  to  examine  nothing. 
Such  a  constitution  of  the  eye  would  be  to  vision  what  an  indis- 
criminating  memory  is  to  the  understanding. 


E. 

^ATXDXRT)  OF  BEAUTY. 

To  show  that  the  sentiments  of  mankind  with  regard  to  female 
beauty,  have  been  very  various  in  different  ages  and  nations,  and 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  establish  a  standard  which  shall  compre- 
hend all,  without  discriminations,  a  few  facts  may  be  mentioned. 
Among  the  ancients,  a  small  forehead  and  joined  eyebrows  were 
much  admired  in  a  female  countenance  ;  and  in  Persia,  large 
joined  eyebrows  are  still  highly  esteemed.  In  some  parts  of 
Asia,  black  teeth  and  white  hair,  are  essential  ingredients  in  the 
character  of  a  beauty  ;  and  in  the  Marian  Islands,  it  is  customary 
among  the  ladies  to  blacken  their  teeth  with  herbs,  and  to  black 
their  hair  with  certain  liquors.  Beauty,  in  China  and  Japan,  is 
composed  of  a  large  countenance,  small,  and  half-concealed  eyes, 
a  broad  nose,  little  and  useless  feet,  and  a  prominent  belly.  The 
Flat-head  Indians  compress  the  heads  of  their  children  between 
two  boards,  with  a  view  to  enlarge  and  beautify  the  face  ;  some 
tribes  compress  the  head  laterally ;  others  depress  the  crown,  and 
others  make  the  head  as  round  as  possible.  "  The  Moors  of 
Africa,"  says  Park,  "have  singular  ideas  of  female  perfection; 
the  gracefulness  of  figure  and  motion,  and  a  countenance  enlivened 
by  expression,  are  by  no  means  operative  points  in  their  standard ; 
with  them  corpulency  and  beauty  are  terms  nearly  synonymous. 
Or  women  of  even  moderate  pretensions,  must  be  one  who  cannot 
walk  without  a  slave  under  each  arm  to  support  her,  and  a  perfect 
beauty  is  a  load  for  a  camel.  In  consequence  of  this  prevalent 
taste  for  unwieldiness  of  bulk,  the  Moorish  ladies  take  great  pains 
to  acquire  it  early  in  life,  and  for  this  purpose  many  of  the  young 
girls  are  compelled  by  their  mothers  to  swallow  a  great  quantity 
of  kouskous,  and  drink  a  large  bowl  of  camel's  milk  every  morn- 
ing. It  is  of  no  importance  whether  the  girl  has  an  appetite  or 
Dot,  the  kouskous  and  milk  '^ust  be  swallowed,  and  obedience  is 


372  APPENDIX. 

frequently  enforced  by  blows.  I  have  seen  a  poor  girl  sit  crying 
with  the  bowl  at  her  lips  formore  than  an  hour,  and  her  mother 
with  a  stick  in  her  hand  watching;  her  all  the  while,  and  using  the 
stick  witliout  mercy  whenever  she  observed  that  her  daughter  was 
not  swallowing.  This  singular  practice,  instead  of  producing  in- 
digestion and  disease,  soon  covers  the  young  lady  with  that  degree 
of  plumpness,  which  in  the  eye  of  a  Moor,  is  perfection  itself." 
These  facts  show  that  every  nation  almost  has  ideas  of  beauty 
peculiar  to  itself ;  audit  is  no  less  evident  that  nearly  every  in- 
dividual has  his  own  notions  and  taste  concerning  it.  "  The  em- 
pire of  beauty,  however,"  says  a  writer  already  quoted,  "amid 
these  discordant  ideas,  with  respect  to  the  qualities  in  which  it 
consists,  has  been  very  generally  acknowledged,  and  particularly 
in  all  civilized  countries ;  and  when  it  is  united  with  other  accom- 
plishments that  tend  to  render  females  amiable,  it  contributes  in  no 
small  degree,  to  give  them  importance  and  influence,  to  polish  the 
manners  of  society,  and  to  contribute  to  its  order  and  happiness." 


F. 

TEMPERAMENT, 

The  views  of  Mr.  Walker  in  relation  to  Temperaments,  corre- 
spond with  those  usually  entertained  by  physiological  writers.  It 
is  to  be  observed,  however,  that  they  rarely  occur  simple  in  any  in- 
dividual, two  or  more  being  generally  combined.  The  bilious  and 
nervous,  for  example,  is  a  common  combination,  which  gives 
strength  and  activity  ;  the  lymphatic  and  nervous,  is  also  common, 
and  produces  sensitive  delicacy  of  mental  constitution,  conjoined 
with  indolence.  The  nervous  and  sanguine  combined,  give  extreme 
vivacity,  but  without  corresponding  vigor.  Dr.  Thomas  of  Paris, 
has  advanced  the  following  theory  of  the  temperaments:  When 
the  digestive  organs,  filling  the  abdominal  cavity,  are  large,  and 
the  lungs  and  brain  small,  the  individual  is  lymphatic ;  he  is  fond 
of  feeding,  and  averse  to  mental  and  muscular  exertion.  When 
the  heart  and  lungs  are  large,  and  the  brain  and  abdomen  small, 
the  individual  is  sanguine ;  blood  abounds,  and  is  propelled  with 
vigor ;  he  is  therefore  fond  of  muscular  exercise,  but  averse  to 
thought.  When  the  brain  is  large,  and  the  abdominal  and  thoracic 
viscera  small,  great  mental  energy  is  the  consequence.    These 


APPENDIX.  373 

proportions  may  be  combined  in  great  varieties,  and  modified  re- 
sults will  ensue.*  Mr.  Combe,  in  his  late  lectures  in  this  city, 
laid  great  stress  on  the  relative  size  of  the  three  great  visceral 
cavities,  in  determining  the  temperament.  Thus,  if  the  abdominal 
and  thoracic  cavities  be  small,  and  the  cranial  cavity  large,  the 
nervous  temperament  is  indicated.  If  the  abdomen  and  scull  be 
comparatively  small,  and  the  chest  large,  the  sanguine  tempera- 
ment is  indicated.  The  predominance  of  the  abdominal  cavity  in- 
dicates the  lymphatic  temperament.  Mr.  C.  also  pointed  out  the 
important  changes  produced  in  the  temperament  by  a  long  con- 
tinued course  of  training.  It  is  common  for  the  bilious,  to  be 
changed  into  the  nervous  temperament,  by  habits  of  mental  ac- 
tivity, and  close  study ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  we  often  see  the 
nervous  or  bilious  changed  into  the  lymphatic  about  the  age  of  40, 
when  the  nutritive  system  seems  to  acquire  the  preponderance. 
Spurzheim  used  to  say,  that  he  had  originally  a  large  portion  of 
the  lymphatic  temperament,  as  had  all  his  family ;  but  that  in 
himself  the  lymphatic  had  gradually  diminished,  and  the  nervous 
gradually  increased ;  whereas,  in  his  sisters,  owing  to  mental  in- 
activity, the  reverse  had  happened,  and  when  he  visited  them, 
after  being  absent  many  years,  he  found  them,  to  use  his  own  ex- 
pression, "  as  large  as  tuns."  The  subject  of  temperament  hets 
been  treated  with  consummate  ability  by  Dr.  Charles  Caldwell  of 
Kentucky ;  and  as  his  essay  is  but  little  known,  we  shall  present 
some  extracts  from  it.  It  will  be  seen  that  his  views  bear  a  close 
resemblance  to  those  of  Dr.  Thomas,  already  mentioned ;  but  Dr. 
C.  has  shown  that  they  were  publicly  maintained  by  him,  at  least 
two  years  before  the  appearance  of  Dr.  Thomas's  work.f  After 
explaining  the  doctrine  of  the  temperaments,  as  taught  by  the 
ancients,  and  showing  that  it  is  founded  on  the  exploded  hypothesis 
of  humoralism.  Dr.  C.  goes  on  to  show,  that  it  is  the  solids  of  the 
body  which  make  man  what  he  is  ;  that  they  form  the  fluids,  and 
give  them  their  character ;  that  they  are,  in  short,  the  cause,  and 
the  fluids  the  effect. 

"  The  diflferenee,"  says  Dr.  C,  "between  individuals,  or  rather 
classes,  of  the  human  family,  which  temperament  is  made  to  desig- 
nate, appears  to  depend  on  two  causes  ;   diversity  of  organization 


*  Combe's  Phrenology. . 

t  Physiologie  des  Temperamens  on  Constitutions.    Paris,  1826. 

32 


374  APPENDIX. 

in  parts  or  the  whole  of  the  bodies  of  different  persons,  giving 
rise  to  a  corresponding  diversity  in  the  vital  properties ;  and 
difference  of  size  and  vigor  in  certain  ruling  organs  of  the  system. 
The  existence  and  influence  of  the  former  of  these  causes  are  in  the 
highest  degree  probable ;  those  of  the  latter  certain.  The  one  is 
susceptible  of  strong  support,  the  other  of  proof  that  may  be  term- 
ed positive.  By  '  organization'  is  here  meant,  the  minute  interior 
or  radical  structure  of  the  tissues  which  compose  the  human  body. 
That  diversity  in  this  creates  a  diversity  in  the  vital  properties, 
and  that  again  a  diversity  in  character,  cannot  1  think  be  doubted. 
Whether  the  difference  of  organization  here  referred  to,  consists  in 
different  proportions  of  the  element  of  living  matter  that  form  the 
tissues,  united  in  the  same  way,  or  in  their  different  modes  of  ar- 
rangement and  union,  or  both,  or  whether  it  may  not  arise  in  part 
from  different  proportions  of  the  simpler  tissues  entering  into  the 
formation  of  the  more  compound  organs,  is  not  known.  Minute 
anatomy  has  not  yet  attained  a  degree  of  perfection  competent  to 
settle  a  point  of  such  subtility." 

Dr.  C.  afterward  goes  on  to  prove  that  no  single  nerve,  or 
organ,  can  perform  two  distinct  functions,  but  that  each  is  capable 
of  one  mode  of  action,  and  no  more;  that  between  a  nerve,  a 
muscle,  and  a  gland,  the  only  difference  known  to  exist,  is  that  of 
organization ;  and  that  if  they  are  organized  alike,  and  endowed 
with  life,  their  properties  will  be  similar,  and  they  will  act  in  the 
same  way.  So  also  between  animals  of  the  same  race,  we  dis- 
cover innumerable  differences,  which  can  be  referred  to  nothing 
but  differences  in  organization,  and  the  same  may  be  affirmed  of 
vegetables.  The  conclusion  to  which  Dr.  C.  arrives,  and  which  he 
maintains  with  great  ingenuity  is,  that  independently  of  all  other 
causes,  differences  in  human  temperament  are  to  be  attributed,  in 
part,  to  corresponding  differences  in  the  organization  of  certain 
portions,  or  the  whole  of  the  body;  and  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  in  consequence  of  this  source  of  influence  alone,  one  person 
differs  from  another  in  many  of  the  qualities  of  both  person  and 
intellect.  In  other  words,  he  is  more  highly  gifted,  sprightly,  and 
■vigorous,  or  the  reverse  ;  or  he  is  more  courageous  or  timid,  gen- 
erous or  selfish,  according  to  his  organization. 

"  But  the  second  cause  that  was  represented  to  be  instrumental 
in  diversifying  the  human  temperaments  is  by  far  the  most  power- 
ful. It  will  be  remembered  to  have  been,  '  difference  of  size  and 
vigor  in  certain  ruling  organs  of  the  system.'  The  organs  alluded 
to  are  those  contained  in  the  three  great  cavities  of  the  body  ;  the 


APPENDIX.  375 

chylopoetic,  situated  in  the  abdomen,  and  including  the  stomach 
and  intestines,  with  the  liver,  pancreas,  mesentery,  and  lacteals ; 
those  of  sanguification  and  circulation,  situated  in  the  thorax,  and 
consisting  of  the  lungs,  heart,  and  bloodvessels  j  and  the  braiui 
■with  its  appendages,  the  spinal  cord  and  nerves.  These  three 
groups  (for  the  brain  is  multiplex  as  well  as  the  other  two)  are 
not  only  the  ruling  organs  in  the  person  of  man  ;  connected  with 
the  hard  and  soft  parts  that  enclose  them,  they  constitute  the  per- 
ton.  The  upper  and  lower  extremities  are  but  appendages ;  im- 
portant and  necessary,  it  must  be  acknowledged  ;  but  still  appen- 
dages. The  individual  can  exist  and  be  a  human  being  without 
them.  Nor  have  they  any  influence  in  imparting  constitutional 
character  to  their  possessors.  Standing  only  in  the  capacity  of 
subordinates  to  the  controlling  organs,  they  are  not  only  nourished 
and  put  in  motion  by  them ;  they  labor  mechanically  for  their 
uses,  and  serve  as  instruments  to  execute  their  purposes.  They 
are  composed  of  the  extreme  ends  of  the  organized  matter  of  the 
system,  constitute  only  its  outworks,  and  possess  but  little  influ- 
ence over  its  central  parts.  This  representation  rests  on  evidence 
that  may  be  termed  demonstrative.  Many  persons  destitute  of 
the  upper  or  lower  extremities,  or  Loth,  have  strong  characters  and 
well-marked  temperaments.  But  the  extremities,  if  deprived  of 
the  influence  of  any  one  group  of  the  ruling  organs,  are  converted 
not  only  into  useless  but  lifeless  masses.  Of  the  skin,  muscles, 
and  bones,  which  compose  the  head,  neck,  and  trunk  of  the  bodyj 
the  same  is  true.  Of  themselves  they  possess  no  character,  and 
can  therefore  bestow  none.  They  also  are  but  appendages  to  the 
organs  they  cover,  affording  them  a  secure  lodgment  and  protec- 
tion from  external  injuries,  and  aiding  them  in  the  performance  of 
some  of  their  functions.  And  from  this  alone  is  their  importance 
derived.  Were  it  possible  for  them  to  exist  apart  from  the  viscera 
they  contain,  their  grade  of  being  would  be  below  that  of  many 
vegetables.  Most  fatal  diseases,  moreover,  have  their  original 
seat  in  the  viscera  of  one  of  the  three  great  cavities  of  the  body, 
and  no  disease  originating  elsewhere  can  become  fatal,  until,  by 
sympathy  or  metastasis,  some  of  those  parts  are  deeply  affected. 
To  enlightened  physiologists  this  statement  presents  but  a  series 
of  familiar  truths.  To  the  groups  of  organs  exclusively,  then,  I 
repeat,  contained  in  the  abdomen,  the  thorax,  and  the  cranium, 
must  we  look  as  the  main  source  of  human  character.  And  that 
character  is  different  according  to  the  predominance,  in  different 
individuals,  of  one  group  or  another,  or  of  any  two  of  them.    Aa 


376  APPENDIX. 

equilibrium  between  the  three  groups  constitutes  another  variety, 
by  bestowing  on  character  a  corresponding  equilibrium.  Let  the 
word  temperament  be  substituted  for  '  character,'  and  what  is 
true  of  the  latter  will  be  so  of  the  former.  As  already  mentioned, 
the  organs  referred  to  will  be  its  source ;  and  the  diflferences  in 
their  predominance  will  give  diversity  to  it." 

Dr.  C.  then  shows  that  the  strength  and  perfection  of  each  of 
the  senses  are  proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  nerve  on  which  that 
sense  depends.  This  is  illustrated  by  a  powerful  array  of  facts, 
drawn  from  different  orders  of  the  animal  kingdom,  as  well  as 
from  the  different  varieties  of  mankind.  It  is  also  stated,  that 
where  any  nerve  or  set  of  nerves,  is  peculiarly  large,  the  portion 
of  the  brain  to  which  they  belong,  and  by  which  they  are  influenced 
and  commanded,  is  correspondingly  large. 

"  Inasmuch,  then,  as,  oflier  things  being  equal,  size  gives  power 
to  everything  else,  we  ■  are  not  only  justified  in  believing,  on 
grounds  of  analogy  we  are  compelled  to  believe,  that  the  same  is 
true  of  the  organs  contained  in  the  cranium,  the  thorax,  and  the 
abdomen.  When  they  are  in  a  sound  and  natural  condition,  their 
size  is  also  the  measure  of  their  power.  Were  not  this  the  case, 
they  would  be  either  altogether  abnormal,  or  subject  to  laws  that 
govern  no  other  kind  of  matter,  whether  organic  or  inorganic,  of 
which  we  have  any  knowledge.  But  the  position  I  am  contending 
for  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  mere  inference  in  a  process  of  rea- 
soning. It  will  appear  hereafter  that  it  is  a  positive  fact,  which 
observation  has  discovered,  and  continues  to  confirm. 

I  have  alleged  that  the  size  of  the  three  groups  of  ruling  organs 
may  be  ascertained  by  that  of  the  cases  in  which  they  are  contain- 
ed. Nor  do  I  perceive  on  what  ground  any  one,  who  is  even  mod- 
erately acquainted  with  the  structure  of  the  human  body,  can  con- 
trovert the  belief,  or  cherish  the  slightest  doubt  on  the  subject  of 
It.  In  healthy  persons  (and  my  remarks  relate  only  to  such)  the 
size  of  the  brain  is  necessarily  known  by  that  of  the  head.  As  the 
viscus  completely  fills  the  cranium,  the  case  cannot  be  otherwise. 
Although  the  bones  of  the  head  and  the  soft  parts  that  cover  them 
are  thicker  in  some  individuals  than  in  others,  the  difference  is  so 
small  as  not  materially  to  affect  the  result.  The  chest  is  filled  by 
the  lungs,  heart,  and  large  bloodvessels.  Its  measure,  therefore, 
cannot  fail  to  be  the  measure  of  them.  Any  deviation  from  exact', 
ness  in  this,  that  may  be  produced  by  varieties  in  the  thickness  of 
the  skin,  muscles,  and  other  parts,  is  of  no  moment.  Of  the  chylo- 
poetic  viscera  the  same  is  true.    They  also  fill  exactly  the  cavity 


APPENDIX.  377 

prepared  for  them.  The  size  of  the  abdomen,  therefore,  affords  a 
knowledge  of  their  size  sufficiently  accurate  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. By  a  mere  inspection  of  the  person  of  man,  then,  the  abso- 
lute measure  of  the  groups  of  organs  I  am  considering,  as  well  as 
their  mag^iitudein  relation  to  each  other,  can  be  fairly  ascertained. 
And  it  will  appear  on  examination,  as  already  stated,  that  the  pre- 
dominance in  size  and  energy  of  any  one  or  two  of  them,  always 
imparts  a  corresponding  diversity  to  the  human  character.  Does 
the  brain  predominate  ?  the  individual  to  whom  it  belongs  is  more 
remarkable  for  the  vigor  of  his  intellect  or  feeling,  or  both,  than 
for  any  other  constitutional  quality.  These  modes  of  mental  mani- 
festation constitute  the  natural  functions  of  the  brain  ;  and  whea 
of  an  order  unusually  high,  they  give  a  peculiarity  of  charac- 
ter to  the  whole  system.  The  person  thus  endowed  feels  more 
keenly,  thinks  more  strongly,  is  more  eager  in  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge, and  attains  it  with  more  facility.  His  relish  for  pleasure  is 
also  inordinately  keen,  and  he  pursues  it  at  times  with  burning  ar- 
dor. Such  was  the  constitutional  character  of  Mr.  Fox,  and  also 
of  our  distinguished  countryman  the  late  Mr.  Bayard.  I  need 
scarcely  add,  that  this  predominance  of  sensibility  and  mental  ac- 
tion must  necessarily  modify  the  diseases  the  individual  may  sus- 
tain. But  of  this  I  shall  speak  hereafter.  Do  the  lungs,  heart,  and 
bloodvessels  predominate  ?  A  larger  volume  of  highly  arterialized 
blood  is  formed,  and  thrown  more  forcibly  and  in  greater  quanti- 
ties throughout  the  system.  From  the  abundance  of  that  fluid, 
and  the  superior  size  of  the  vessels  conveying  it,  those  parts  of  the 
body  nourished  by  the  red  blood  will  be  comparatively  most  copi- 
ously supplied.  But  it  is  more  especially  the  muscles  that  are  thus 
nourished.  They  will  be  therefore  large  and  powerful.  Hence 
persons  with  broad  and  full  chests  have  well-developed  and  vigorous 
muscles.  In  proportion  to  their  size  their  animal  strength  is  neces- 
sarily great.  Nor  can  such  constitutional  peculiarities  fail  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  peculiarities  in  disease  ?  Do  the  chylopoetic  viscera  pre- 
dominate ?  The  amount  of  chyle  formed  is  very  large  in  propor- 
tion to  the  quantity  of  food  eaten.  But  the  lungs,  heart,  and  blood- 
vessels being  comparatively  small,  neither  is  sanguification  abun- 
dant and  perfect  nor  circulation  vigorous.  The  blood  is  not  either 
highly  arterialized  or  animalized.  Its  amount  of  red  globules  is 
small,  and  it  circulates  feebly  through  vessels  of  a  limited  size. 
The  consequence  is,  that  the  muscles  receive  less  red  blood,  and 
are  less  fully  nourished  ;  the  system  at  large  is  not  so  highly  en- 
dued with  life,  and  the  soft  parts  generally  have  a  lower  tone.  The 
32* 


378  APPENDIX. 

individual  thus  marked  is  less  robust  and  vigorous  than  one  whose 
system  is  supplied  abundantly  with  highly  arterialized  blood,  and 
less  intellectual  and  sprightly  than  those  whose  brain  predomi- 
nates. It  is  almost  needless  to  say,  that,  under  such  circumstan- 
ces, disease  mast  be  modified  in  conformity  to  the  constitution. 

"  From  the  preceding  views  it  clearly  appears,  that  the  compara- 
tive standing  of  individual  man,  as  relates  to  his  race,  is  graduated 
by  the  predominance  of  his  leading  organs.  Do  his  abdominal  vis- 
cera preponderate  ?  He  has  much  of  the  animal  in  him,  and  his 
grade  is  low.  Are  his  thoracic  viscera  most  highly  developed  ?  His 
qualities  are  of  a  superior  order;  but  he  still  partakes  too  much  of 
the  animal.  Does  his  cerebral  system  predominate  ;  and  is  it  well 
developed  in  all  its  parts?  He  rises  above  the  sphere  of  animal 
nature,  and  stands  high  in  that  of  humanity.  He  is  formed  for  an 
intellectual  and  moral  being,  with  no  more  of  auimality  in  his 
constitution,  than  is  necessary  to  give  him  practical  energj*  of 
character. 

"  This  subject  may  be  farther  illustrated  by  a  reference  to  some 
of  the  animals  below  us.  The  worm  commonly  denominated  a 
grub  is  but  little  else  than  a  mass  of  abdominal  matter.  It  is  there- 
fore one  of  the  humblest  and  grossest  of  worms.  The  insect  has 
also  a  large  abdomen,  with  a  very  small  chest,  and  a  smaller  head. 
Hence,  though  superior  to  the  grub,  it  is  low  in  the  scale  of  animal 
nature.  Reptiles  and  fish  are  more  elevated,  because  their  ab- 
dominal viscera  preponderate  less.  But  still  they  do  preponderate ; 
and  therefore  the  rank  of  the  animals  is  humble.  In  the  hog  the 
abdominal  viscera  are  most  strongly  developed,  and  hence  his 
standing  among  quadrupeds  is  low.  The  same  is  true  of  the  bear 
and  the  ox,  and  also  of  the  sheep  and  the  goat,  but  in  an  inferior 
degree.  The  horse,  especially  the  barb  and  the  racehorse,  furnish 
no  bad  specimens  of  the  mixed  or  balanced  temperament.  When 
the  latter  is  undergoing  preparation  for  the  course,  the  object  of 
his  keeper  is  to  make  the  thoracic  temperament  preponderate  as 
much  as  possible,  for  the  time,  in  order  to  increase  his  vigor  and 
endurance  ;  in  the  language  of  the  turf,  to  give  him  more  strength 
and  '  better  bottom.'  The  warhorse  approaches  the  thoracic  tem- 
perament. In  the  canine  race,  more  especially  in  the  greyhound, 
the  thoracic  viscera  hold  the  ascendency.  Hence  the  muscular 
power  of  the  dog  is  greater,  and  his  grade  among  quadrupeds 
higher  than  those  of  most  of  the  preceding  animals.  The  same 
is  true  of  the  wolf,  the  panther,  and  the  tiger.  In  some  dogs  there 
is  a  considerable  cerebral  development,  but  it  is  never  large  enough 


APPENDIX.  379 

to  counterbalance  the  thoracic.  Of  all  animals,  the  lieu  alTords 
the  most  finished  specimen  of  thoracic  preponderance.  In  propor- 
tion to  his  size,  his  lungs  and  heart,  especially  the  latter,  are  im- 
mensely large.  And  his  muscular  power  corresponds  to  them.  The 
magnitude  of  his  heart  is  generally  considered  the  cause  of  his 
boldness.  Hence  a  very  courageous  man  is  said-  to  have  a  great 
heart,  or  to  be  lion-hearted.  All  this  is  popular  error.  The  heart 
is  but  a  muscle  ;  and,  in  man,  has  no  more  connexion  with  courage 
than  the  gastrocnemii  muscles ;  nor,  in  the  lion,  than  the  muscles 
that  move  his  tail.  Courage  is  exclusively  a  cerebral  attribute, 
and  has  its  seat  in  an  organ  specifically  appropriated  to  it.  In  none 
of  the  inferior  animals  does  the  brain  preponderate.  That  prepon- 
derance belongs  to  humanity,  and,  as  already  mentioned,  indicates 
its  highest  grade.  Of  all  the  beings  below  us,  some  of  the.  ape 
tribe  have  the  highest  cerebral  development.  And  they  approach 
nearest  to  man  in  their  degree  of  intellect.  This  is  farther  proof, 
that,  other  things  being  alike,  the  brain  gives  the  measure  of  men- 
tal power.  I  have  lately  seen  a  publication,  in  which  it  is  gravely 
asserted,  that  the  large  orang-outang  catches  crabs  with  a  stick, 
and  makes  a  rude  basket  of  osiers  to  contain  them.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  well-known  sagacity  of  that  animal,  this  statement  savors 
strongly  of  the  '  tale  of  a  traveller.'  " 

"  Considered  in  relation  to  these  principles,  temperament  may 
be  divided  into  seven  varieties.  1.  the  mixed  or  balanced,  in  which 
the  ruling  organs  are  in  fair  proportion  to  each  other  ;  2,  the  ence- 
phalic ;  3,  the  thoracic  ;  4,  the  abdominal ;  5,  the  encephalo-thora- 
cic  ;  6,  the  encephalo-abdominal ;  and  7,  the  thoracico-abdominal." 

"  1.  The  mixed  or  balanced  variety.  In  this  the  name  explains 
the  temperament.  The  external  marks  of  it  are  plain.  They  con- 
sist in  a  well-adjusted  proportion  between  the  sizes  of  the  head, 
thorax,  and  abdomen.  If  the  limbs  are  in  harmony,  the  symmetry 
of  the  entire  person  is  complete.  Although  individuals,  in  whom 
this  temperament  prevails,  are  usually  above  the  middle  height, 
and  well-formed,  they  are  not  necessarily  so.  They  may  be  of  any 
stature,  and  any  shape,  straight  or  crooked,  provided  the  three 
great  cavities  and  their  contents  be  accurately  balanced.  This  is 
not  the  temperament  of  either  early  life  or  old  age.  It  commences 
with  manhood,  and  continues  until  the  fortieth  or  forty-fifth  j'ear, 
and  then  passes  into  somewhat  of  the  abdominal.  The  Apollo 
Belvidere,  by  Phidias,  is  an  exquisite  specimen  of  it.  But  some 
modern  artists  have  violated  it,  in  painting  that  statue,  by  making 
the  chest  and  the  head  too  large.    Although  the  manifestation  of 


380  APPENDIX. 

strength,  majesty,  and  intellect,  is  heightened  by  this,  the  beauty 
of  the  youthful  god  is  marred.  The  figure,  though  more  imposing, 
has  lost  its  charm." 

"2.  The  encephalic.  In  this  variety  the  head  is  relatively  large, 
but  is  not  always  equally  developed  in  every  part,  a  circumstance 
which  varies  greatly,  as  will  presently  appear,  the  characters  of 
those  who  possess  the  temperament.  The  development  of  the 
thorax  and  abdomen  is  moderate,  the  person  lean,  and  the  counte- 
nance expressive  of  intense  feeling  and  deep  passion.  In  some  m- 
dividuals,  however,  the  countenance  beams  with  intelligence,  with- 
out much  passion,  while,  in  others,  manifestations  of  powerful  in- 
tellect and  passion  are  united.  The  thoracic  and  abdominal  ac- 
tivity is  never  high ;  yet  in  many  instances  the  personal  hardihood 
and  endurance  are  invincible.  It  is  men  of  this  temperament  alone 
that  can  immortalize  themselves  by  great  achievements,  good  or 
bad  All  history  and  observation  testify  to  this.  Is  the  develop- 
ment very  large  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  regions  of  the  brain, 
and  so  moderate  in  the  animal  as  to  be  held  fully  in  check  ?  The 
individual  will  distinguish  himself  by  a  dignified  purity  of  deport- 
ment, and  by  the  performance  of  great  and  good  deeds." 

"  Are  the  animal  and  mere  knowing  compartments  largely  de- 
veloped,  and  the  moral  and  reflecting  very  slightly  ?  As  relates 
to  vice  and  profligacy  in  their  foulest  shapes,  this  is  the  worst  of 
all  temperaments.  Nothing  more  prone  to  depravity  can  be  ima- 
gined. The  person  possessed  of  it  delights  in  some  sort  of  animali- 
ty  alone  ;  and  if  he  ever  engages  in  anything  higher  or  purer,  it  is 
for  a  sinister  purpose,  that  he  may  return  to  his  chosen  indulgen- 
ces in  more  security,  or  on  a  broader  scale." 

"  Is  the  development  very  large,  and  equally  so  in  all  the  de- 
partments of  the  brain,  animal,  moral,  and  intellectual,  giving  to 
the  head  unusual  size  ?  The  individual  possessing  it  has  a  lofty 
and  powerful  character,  is  capable  of  attaining  the  highest  renown, 
and  making  an  impression,  not  to  be  erased,  on  the  age  and  coun- 
try in  which  he  lives.  His  career  may  be  occasionally  stained  by 
irregularities  and  checkered  with  clouds,  but  will  be  brilliant  in. 
the  main.  His  designs  are  vast,  because  he  feels  his  power,  the  in- 
struments with  which  he  works  are  men,  and  he  wields  them  in 
masses.  The  term  little  has  no  place  in  his  vocabulary-,  nor  its 
prototype  in  his  thoughts.  His  aim  is  greatness  of  some  kind  — 
high  achievement  or  deep  catastrophe." 

"  3.  The  thoracic.  Under  this  variety  the  head  is  small,  usually 
round,  and  covered  with  thick  curling  hair,  the  abdomen  of  limited 


APPENDIX.  381 

dimensions,  the  chest  spacious  and  powerful,  and  the  muscles 
swelling  and  firm.  Whether  fair  and  ruddy  or  otherwise,  the  com- 
plexion is  strong.  Respiration  is  full  and  deep,  and  the  action  of 
thfe  heart  regular  and  vigorous ;  and  the  pulse  has  great  volume. 
Like  the  result,  in  every  other  kind  of  inordinate  vital  action,  the 
animal  temperature  is  high.  This  temperament,  in  which  neither 
feelittg  nor  intellect  prevails,  begins  to  show  itself  about  puberty, 
and  continues  until  the  decline  of  life,  when  it  undergoes  a  change. 
The  Farnesian  Hercules  is  the  beau  ideal  of  it.  This  shows  that  it 
was  known  to  the  ancient  Greeks,  who  were  probably  indebted  for 
their  acquaintance  with  it  to  observations  made  on  the  persons  of 
their  wrestlers.  In  modem  times  it  is  strongly  developed  in  box- 
ers and  porters,  and  sufficiently  so  in  bakers,  wood-choppers,  op- 
erative agriculturists,  9.nd  others  who  have  been  habituated  to  la- 
bor from  their  boyhood.  I  have  observed  no  little  of  it  among  the 
London  boatmen,  the  occupation  of  whose  life  is  to  ply  the  oar,  a 
mode  of  exercise  well  calculated  to  develop  the  chest,  together 
with  the  muscles  of  the  upper  extremities.  I  have  seen  good  speci- 
mens of  it  also  in  the  African  race." 

"4.  The  abdominal.  This  temperament  is  easily  recognised  by 
the  character  it  imparts  to  the  person  and  intellect.  The  pelvis  is 
broad  in  proportion  to  the  shoulders  and  thorax,  the  abdomen 
large  and  prominent,  and  the  adipose  matter  abundant,  filling  up 
the  interstices  of  the  muscles,  and  often  forming  a  layer  between 
them  and  the  skin,  in  consequence  of  which  the  limbs  are  round 
and  smooth  and  soft  to  the  touch.  In  such  constitutions,  ecchy- 
mosis  succeeds  with  unusual  readiness,  to  slight  contusions.  Cir- 
culation in  the  skin  being  feeble,  the  complexion  may  be  fair  and 
delicate,  but  never  very  ruddy  or  strong.  The  size  of  the  head  is 
limited,  'the  intellectual  moderate,  the  eye  deficient  in  lustre  and 
the  countenance  in  expression,  and  the  movements  heavy  and  sel- 
dom graceful.  The  abdominal  viscera  seem  to  draw  everything 
into  the  vortex  of  their  action.  The  amount  of  vitality  is  evidently 
below  its  common  measure  in  the  human  system,  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, the  flesh  seems  to  hang  as  a  load  on  the  spirit." 

"  5.  The  encephalo-thoracic.  This  temperament  is  a  type  of 
power  both  bodily  and  mental.  Its  compound  name  expresses  fully 
the  external  appearances  that  mark  it,  as  well  as  the  attributes 
that  always  accompany  them.  With  an  abdomen  of  moderate 
dimensions,  the  head  of  the  individual  who  possesses  it  is  large 
and  vigorous  to  conceive  and  direct,  and  his  chest  and  muscles 
powerful  to  execute,  and  hardy  to  endure.    It  is  the  temperament 


382  APPENDIX. 

of  masculine  and  comprehensive  tliought  and  strong  propensitj', 
united  to  energetic  action,  rather  than  of  seclusion  and  profound 
meditation.  As  in  all  other  eases,  the  character  is  varied  in  it  ac- 
cording to  the  portion  of  the  brain  that  is  most  largely  developed. 
He  to  whom  it  belongs  feels  himself  in  his  proper  sphere  when  he 
is  among  men,  and  is  well  fitted  to  act  his  part  in  times  of  tumult 
and  scenes  of  difficult}'.  Is  his  brain  large  in  each  of  its  compart- 
ments? If  an  occasion  present  itself,  he  not  only  mingles  in  the 
moral  storm,  but  aspires  to  direct  it.  In  case  of  his  becoming  a 
warrior,  his  genius  and  sword  are  alike  formidable.  In  battle,  pre- 
viously to  the  invention  of  fire-arms,  such  a  man  was  the  terror  of 
his  enemies  and  the  hope  of  his  friends.  Ulysses,  as  sketched  by 
Homer,  is  as  fairly  the  beau  ideal  of  this  temperament,  as  Hercules 
is  of  the  thoracic.  That  chieftain  was  alike  wise  to  counsel,  in- 
trepid to  dare,  and  powerful  to  perform.  Plato,  so  called  from  the 
uncommon  breadth  of  his  chest,  who  had  also  a  very  large  head, 
is  another  excellent  model  of  the  same.  Even  in  times  of  peace 
the  corporeal  attributes  of  a  man  of  this  description  add  to  his  in- 
fluence. Jupiter,  the  emblem  of  wisdom  and  power,  as  represented 
by  the  emcient  statuaries,  with  an  immense  head  and  trunk,  and 
arms  of  matchless  strength,  is  as  finished  a  specimen  of  the  ence- 
phalo-thoracic  temperament,  as  Apollo  is  of  the  mixed." 

"  6.  The  encephalo-abdominal.  Here  again  the  name  bespeaks 
sufficiently  the  development,  form,  and  character  of  those  who 
possess  the  temperament.  The  head  and  abdomen  are  compara- 
tively large,  the  thorax  small,  and  the  shoulders  narrow.  Hence 
the  sensibility  is  keen,  and  the  intellect,  if  not  powerful,  active  and 
respectable.  For  the  reasons  given,  when  the  abdominal  tempera- 
ment was  considered,  the  limbs  and  person,  under  the  present  one, 
are  round  and  smooth,  and  the  flesh  is  soft ;  but,  owing  to  the  in- 
fluence of  a  well-developed  brain,  and  nerves  that  correspond  to  it, 
the  movements  are  sprightly  and  the  air  graceful.  Though  rarely 
powerful,  the  character  is  attractive.  This  is  the  temperament  of 
childhood  and  woman,  much  more  than  of  adult  lile  and  man. 
Fine  genius,  but  elegant  and  playful,  rather  than  strong  and  bril- 
liant, is  often  connected  with  it.  It  is  females,  in  whom  the  ence- 
phalic development  is  larger  than  usual,  that  possess  minds  truly 
masculine." 

"  7.  The  thoracico-abdominal.  In  this  temperament  the  head  is 
comparatively  small,  and  the  thorax  and  abdomen  large,  with  a 
correspondmg  size  of  the  muscles  and  bones,  and  much  adipose 
eubstance.    It  is  the  temperament  of  mere  animal  strength  and 


APPENDIX.  383 

patient  endurance,  without  any  of  the  elevated,  sprightly,  or  at- 
tractive qualities  of  human  nature.  It  forms  good  laborers  and 
fatigue-men,  but  is  entirely  unfit  for  those  whose  province  is  to 
meditate,  plan,  and  direct.  It  comports  well  enough  with  the 
character  of  soldiers  of  a  certain  description,  but  is  altogether  out 
of  harmony  with  that  of  an  officer.  It  is,  I  think,  more  favorable 
to  health  than  any  of  the  other  temperaments,  except  perhaps  the 
mixed.  If  those  who  possess  it  have  weak  intellects,  their  pas- 
sions are  usually  moderate,  and  rarely  hurry  them  into  pernicious 
excesses.  The  tenor  of  their  lives  is  but  little  interrupted  by  either 
irregularity  or  disease.  Hence  they  retain  their  vigor  uncommonly 
well,  and  are  often  day-laborers  and  industrious  husbandmen  at  an 
advanced  age.  True,  their  appetite  for  food  is  strong ;  but  they 
are  not  prone  to  an  excessive  indulgence  of  it ;  I  mean  at  a  single 
meal.  Like  those  possessed  of  the  abdominal  temperament,  they 
eat  often  rather  than  superabundantly  at  once.  Besides,  such  is  the 
strength  of  their  chylopoetic  viscera,  that  they  subdue  and  digest 
without  sustaining  any  injury,  as  much  food  as  would  produce  dis- 
ease in  those  of  different  constitutions.  Nor  are  they  so  much  en- 
dangered by  vascular  fulness  as  persons  of  the  simple  abdominal 
temperament.  The  reason  of  this  is  plain.  Their  bloodvessels  are 
larger,  and  their  excretions  more  copious,  especially  those  by  the 
skin  and  the  organ  of  respiration.  From  the  warmth  of  their  con- 
stitutions, owing  to  an  abundance  of  well-arterialized  blood,  and  a 
concomitant  vigorous  circulation,  they  perspire  freely,  and  secrete 
and  exhale  copiously  from  the  lungs.  This  temperament  is  rarely 
found  among  women,  and  is  not  very  common  among  men." 

Dr.  C.  maintains  that  at  certain  periods  of  life,  one  temperament 
passes  into  another,  as  the  result  of  the  natural  changes  which 
take  place,  in  the  progress  of  the  growth  and  decay  of  the  human 
body  ;  and  that  every  one,  who  attains  longevity,  partakes,  in  the 
progress  of  growth  and  decline,  of  five  temperaments  ;  the  purely 
abdominal,  which  prevails  before  birth ;  the  encephalo-ahdominal, 
which  exists  at  birth,  and  for  some  years  afterward  ;  the  encephalo- 
thoracic;  the  mixed;  and  the  abdominal  of  real  senility.  Thus 
passes  the  circle  of  life,  beginning  with  the  abdominal  tempera- 
ment of  the  foetal  state,  and  terminating  in  that  of  extreme  old 
age. 

That  there  is  an  intimate  connexion  between  temperament  and 
personal  beauty,  will  be  manifest  from  the  above  view  of  the  sub- 
ject. Our  limits,  however,  forbid  an  application  of  Dr.  Caldwell's 
views   in   illustration  of  Mr.  Walker's   theory ;  thes",  however, 


384  APPENDIX. 

have  been  given  so  much  in  detail,  that  the  reader  will  be  able  to 
make  tbe  application  for  himself. 


G. 

There  is  hardly  any  habit  relating  to  female  dress  more  destruc- 
tive of  grace  and  beauty,  at  least  of  deportment,  than  that  of 
compressing  the  foot  in  a  shoe  of  one  half  the  proper  size.  It 
would  seem  that  our  ladies  were  trying  to  ape  the  fashion  of  the 
Chinese,  in  this  respect,  and  though  they  do  not  at  present  carry 
it  to  the  same  extent,  yet  they  carrj'  it  sufficiently  far  to  destroy 
their  comfort.  We  look  in  vain  for  the  sprightly,  light,  and  elas- 
tic step,  where  the  feet  are  bound  tight,  and  cramped  up  in  dis- 
proportionately tight  shoes  ;  and  it  would  be  strange  in  such  a 
case,  if  we  did  not  find  an  unhappy,  and  distressed  expression  of 
countenance — the  muscles  of  the  face  sympathizing  with  the  dis- 
torted and  painful  feet.  Such  a  custom,  also,  interferes  materially 
with  taking  that  measure  of  exercise  which  is  necessary  to  health. 
Mrs.  Walker,  in  her  work  on  Female  Beauty,  remarks  as  follows: 
<*  Ladies  are  very  apt  to  torture  their  feet  to  make  them  appear  small. 
This  i-s  exceedingly  ridiculous :  a  very  small  foot  is  a  deformity. 
True  beauty  of  each  part  consists  in  the  proportion  it  bears  to  the 
rest  of  the  body.  A  tight  or  ill-made  shoe,  not  only  destroys  the 
shape  of  the  foot,  it  produces  corns  aivl  bunions  ;  and  it  tends  to 
impede  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  Besides,  the  foot  then  swells, 
and  appears  larger  than  it  is,  and  the  ankles  become  thick  and 
clumsy." 

The  pernicious  effect  of  tight  or  ill-made  shoes,  is  evident  also 
in  the  stiff  and  tottering  gait  of  these  victims  of  a  foolish  preju- 
dice;  they  can  neither  stand  upright,  walk  straight,  nor  enter  a 
room  properly. 

To  be  too  short,  is  one  of  the  greatest  defects  a  shoe  can  have ; 
because  it  takes  away  all  chance  of  yielding  in  that  direction,  and 
without  offering  any  compensation  for  tightness  in  others,  and  in 
itself,  it  not  only  causes  pain,  and  spoils  tlie  shape  of  the  foot,  by 
turning  down  the  toes,  and  swelling  of  the  instep,  but  is  the  cause 
of  bad  gait  and  carriage.  Many  diseases  arise  solely  from  the 
ase  of  shoes  of  very  thin  materials  in  wet  weather ;  but  no  female 
who  has  the  slightest  regard  for  her  health,  or  indeed  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  her  beauty,  will  object  to  wear  shoes  thicker  than  are 
usually  worn,  if  the  pavement  is  at  any  time  wet  or  damp. 


APPENDIX.  385 


The  effect  of  alcoholic  drinks  upon  beauty,  has  not  been  over- 
estimated by  Mr.  Walker,  though  he  is  doubtless  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing that  none  but  those  who  reside  amid  the  artificial  customs 
of  city  life,  experience  the  deleterious  influence  of  such  beverages. 
Not  only  alcoholic  stimulants,  but  tea  and  coffee,  and  especially 
opium,  which  has  of  late  come  into  very  extensive  use  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  former,  tend  to  produce  an  unhealthy  action  of  the 
skin,  from  their  influence  upon  the  secerent  system,  causing 
blotches,  pimples,  and  discolorations,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree. 
Where  used  moderately,  they  produce  either  an  unnatural  pale- 
ness, deadness,  or  duskiness  of  complexion,  or  a  bloated  appear- 
ance, far  removed  from  the  fresh  roseate  hue  of  health.  Such  is 
the  effect  of  wine,  cordials,  and  malt  liquors,  which  are  exten- 
sively employed  by  ladies,  particularly  in  cities,  during  the  period 
of  nursing,  under  a  mistaken  impression  that  they  cause  a  greater 
flow  of  milk,  and  tend  to  invigorate  the  system.  Whoever  desires 
to  attain  health,  strength,  and  beauty,  should  not  seek  them 
through  the  agency  of  bitters,  tonics,  and  cordials,  or  distilled,  or 
fermented  liquors,  which  only  inflame  the  blood,  but  from  free 
exercise  in  the  open  air,  regular  occupations,  tranquillity  of  mind, 
a  mild  diet,  and  a  proper  allotment  of  time  for  sleep. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  the  lower  classes  of  females  in  cities, 
consume  as  much,  and  probably  more  intoxicating  drinks,  than 
men  of  the  same  class,  and  this  is  no  doubt  tru-e.  But  to  the 
honor  of  our  countrywomen,  a  great  change  has  been  brought 
about  within  last  few  years,  with  respect  to  the  use  of  alcoholic 
liquors,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  other  countries,  with  a  correspond, 
ing  improvement  in  health,  happiness,  and  beauty.  In  advancing 
this  blessed  reform,  the  ladies  have  borne  a  conspicuous  part  —  as 
they  have  in  every  other  philanthropic  work  —  and  their  combined 
influence  is  only  needed,  to  banish  such  drinks  entirely  from 
civilized  society. 


THE  FACIAL  LINE  OF  CAMPER. 

In  order  to  determine  the  cerebral  mass,  and,  consequently, 
the  intellectual  faculties.  Camper  draws  a  base  line  &oia  the  roots 

33 


386  APPENDIX. 

of  the  upper  incisors,  to  the  external  auditory  passage ;  then 
another  straight  line,  from  the  upper  incisors  to  the  most  elevated 
point  of  the  forehead :  according  to  him,  the  intellectual  faculties 
of  the  man  or  animal,  are  in  direct  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of 
the  angle,  made  by  those  two  lines.  Lavater,  with  this  idea  for  a 
basis,  constructed  a  scale  of  perfection  from  the  frog  to  the  Apollo 
Belvidere.  As  nature  really  furnishes  many  proofs  in  support  of 
this  opinion,  it  has  been  generally  received,  even  by  anatomists 
and  physiologists ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  arguments  by  which 
it  is  victoriously  opposed,  the  learned  cannot  resolve  to  abandon 
it.  Cuvier  himself  furnishes  a  list  of  men  and  animals,  in  support 
of  this  doctrine  ;  few  naturalists  oppose  it,  but  almost  all  give  it 
their  support.* 

Camper's  attempt  necessarily  failed  ;  for  his  manner  of  drawing 
the  lines  and  measuring  the  facial  angle,  enabled  him  to  take  into 
consideration  the  anterior  parts  only  of  the  brain  situated  near  the 
forehead :  he  entirely  neglects  the  posterior,  lateral,  and  inferior 
cerebral  parts.  This  method,  then,  at  most,  could  decide  upon 
those  faculties  only,  whose  organs  are  placed  near  the  forehead. 

Cuvier  estimates  the  facial  angle  of  the  new-born  infant  at  ninety 
degrees ;  that  of  the  adult,  at  eighty-five ;  that  of  decrepit  old 
age,  at  fifty. 

From  this  statement  it  appears,  that,  at  different  ages,  changes 
take  place  in  the  form,  either  of  the  brain  or  the  cranium ;  here- 
after I  shall  prove  that  such  changes  really  occur. 

The  forehead  of  the  newborn  infant  is  flattened  ;  on  the  con- 
trary,  that  of  a  child  some  months  old,  and  until  the  age  of  eight 
or  ten  years,  especially  in  the  case  of  boys  possessed  of  superior 
talents,  it  is  projecting,  and  forms,  notwithstanding  the  approxi- 
mation to  the  age  of  puberty,  a  larger  facial  angle  than  in  the 
adult ;  this  angle,  therefore,  does  not  diminish  in  the  inverse  ratio 
of  the  age.  In  like  manner  we  find  decrepit  old  men,  whose  facial 
angle  is  as  great  as  it  was  in  the  vigor  of  manhood  ;  for,  although 
in  decrepitude  the  brain  is  subject  to  atrophy,  there  are  old  men, 
the  exterior  contour  of  whose  crania  undergoes  no  change.  The 
angle,  as  stated  by  Cuvier,  for  different  ages,  were  measured  upon 
different  individuals  ;  if  it  were  estimated  upon  the  same  persons 
at  different  epochs  of  his  life,  the  result  would  be  entirely  dif- 
ferent. 

In  general,  the  proportion  between  the  forehead  and  the  face,  is 

*  This  doctrine  is  revived,  Diet,  ies  Sciences  med.    Delpit  and  Keydellet. 


APPENDIX.  387 

different  in  different  individuals.  No  conclusion  can  be  drawn 
from  the  proportions,  which  exist  in  one  person,  relative  to  those 
of  another ;  among  a  hundred  individuals  of  the  same  sex  and 
age,  no  two  can  be  found,  in  whom  the  same  proportion  exists  be- 
tween the  forehead  and  the  face  ;  it  necessarily  follows,  then,  that 
no  two  will  have  the  same  facial  angle.  Physiologists  seem  to 
admit,  that  the  proportion  between  the  brain  and  the  bones  of  the 
face,  is  different  in  different  species  of  animals  :  but  they  appear 
to  think  that,  in  all  the  individuals  of  the  same  species,  all  the 
young,  all  the  adults,  all  the  old,  there  exists  a  constant  propor- 
tion between  the  cerebral  mass  and  the  face. 

The  researches  of  Blumenbach  show  that  threefourths  of  the 
animals  known,  have  nearly  the  same  facial  angle  ;  and  yet  what 
a  disparity  between  their  instincts  and  faculties  !  What  informa- 
tion, then,  do  we  derive  from  Camper's  facial  angle  ? 

Moreover,  as  Cuvier  himself  observes,  the  cerebral  mass  is  by 
no  means  placed  in  all  animals,  immediately  behind  or  beneath 
what  is  called  the  forehead.  In  a  great  many  species  of  animals, 
on  the  contrary,  the  external  table  of  the  frontal  is  at  a  consider- 
able distance  from  the  internal,  and  this  distance  increases  with 
the  age  of  the  animal.  The  brain  of  the  swine  is  placed  an  inch 
lower  than  the  frontal  bones  seem  to  indicate  ;  that  of  the  ox,  in 
some  parts  three  inches ;  that  of  the  elephant,  from  six  to  thir- 
teen. In  other  animals,  the  measurement  is  generally  com- 
menced at  the  frontal  sinus  instead  of  the  cerebrum.  From  these 
considerations,  Cuvier  was  induced  to  draw  a  tangent  to  the  inter- 
nal instead  of  the  external  surface  of  the  cranium.  The  cerebrum 
of  the  wolf  and  many  species  of  dogs,  especially  when  the  indi- 
viduals are  very  old,  is  placed  directly  behind  the  frontal  sinuses. 
In  the  wolf,  especially  the  large  and  most  ferocious  variety,  it  is 
depressed  as  m  the  hyena ;  in  the  dog  it  is  situated  higher  or 
lower,  according  to  the  species ;  but,  notwithstanding  this  differ- 
ence in  the  situation  of  the  brain,  the  facial  angle,  as  it  is  com- 
monly measured,  must  be  the  same  ;  from  this  the  inference  would 
be,  that  the  dog,  the  wolf,  and  the  hyena,  have  the  same  qualities, 
and  each  in  the  same  degree.  In  the  greater  part  of  the  rodentia, 
the  morse,  &c.,  the  brain  is  so  depressed  and  so  placed  behind  the 
frontal  sinuses,  that  the  facial  line  cannot  be  drawn.  The  facial 
line  of  the  cetacea,  on  account  of  the  singular  conformation  of  the 
head,  would  lead  to  results  absolutely  false. 

I  know  many  negfroes,  who,  with  very  prominent  jaws,  are  quite 
distinguished  for  their  intellectual  faculties ;  yet  the  projection  ol 


388  APPENDIX. 

the  jaws  renders  the  facial  angle  much  more  acute,  than  it  would 
be  with  the  usual  conformation  of  Europeans.  In  order  that  the 
same  angle  should  exist  in  a  European,  the  forehead  must  be  flat- 
tened and  retreating.  But  the  foreheads  of  the  negroes  in  ques- 
tion, on  the  contrary,  are  very  projecting.  Who,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, would  expect  to  find  the  same  amount  of  intellect 
corresponding  to  the  same  facial  angle  ? 

The  facial  line  cannot  be  applied  to  birds,  as  many  naturalists 
have  already  observed. 

From  what  has  been  said,  we  should  expect  that  naturalists 
would  at  length  renounce  the  facial  angle  of  Camper ;  but  the 
most  ignorant  are  generally  the  most  conceited. 

In  spite  of  this  complete  refutation  of  Camper's  facial  line, 
Delpit  extols  it  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"  If  ever  a  relation  of  this  kind  presented  characters  of  generality 
and  fixedness,  adequate  to  excite  a  reasonable  confidence  in  mat- 
ters belonging  to  the  domain  of  empiricism,  rather  than  that  of 
science,  it  is  the  relation  or  proportion  of  magnitude,  which  Camper 
first  perceived  and  revealed,  by  comparing  the  brain  of  man  with 
that  of  the  different  species  of  animals.  We  here  see  a  successive 
decrease  of  intelligence,  proportionate  to  the  acuteness  of  the 
facial  angle  and  the  consequent  diminution  of  the  cerebral  cavity. 
This  affords  a  constant  and  fixed  relation.  It  can  be  appreciated 
with  a  suflicient  degree  of  exactness  by  the  direct  light  of  conb. 
parative  anatomy,  and  by  observation  of  the  habits  and  intelligence 
of  the  different  classes  of  animals  ;  it  can  also  be  verified  by  the 
comparison  of  men  very  unequally  endowed  with  intellectual 
faculties,  in  whom  the  contraction  of  the  cerebral  cavity  and  the 
magnitude  of  the  facial  angle  exhibit  the  most  remarkable  diversi- 
ties. Here  the  physiognomical  sign  has,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the 
expression,  a  wide  extent  of  acceptation ;  it  rests  upon  a  broad 
basis,  upon  a  definite  division,  and  one  of  easy  comprehension  and 
verification  ;  for,  if  there  is  some  discrepancy  of  opinion,  in  regard 
to  the  number  £md  nomenclature  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind,  the 
sentiments  of  the  soul,  the  modifications  or  shades  of  character 
which  give  birth  to  particular  passions,  moral  dispositions,  habits, 
whether  virtuous  or  vicious  ;  if  these  classifications  are,  in  a  great 
measure,  arbitrary,  and  the  language  used  somewhat  vague ;  if,  in 
short,  the  greater  part  of  these  nominal  faculties  are  mere  abstrac- 
tions of  the  mind,  purely  imaginary  existences,  and  therefore  can- 
not be  actually  located  in  any  part  of  the  brain ;  the  case  is  quite 
different,  when  we  merely  seek  to  establish  a  general  relation  be» 


APPENDIX.  389 

tween  a  constant  sign  manifested  in  the  organization,  and  the  de- 
gree of  reason,  mind,  or  intellect,  attributed  to  different  men,  or 
the  degrees  of  sagacity  attributed  to  different  species  of  animals. 
Here,  no  one  is  at  a  loss,  because  there  is  ample  latitude  for  com- 
paring and  judging ;  in  the  system  of  Gall,  on  the  contrary,  the 
comparisons  rest  upon  minute  points,  which  are  subject  to  discus- 
sion, exceptions,  a  thousand  uncertainties  in  the  signs  and  various 
applications."* 

If  the  reader  will  review  what  I  have  said  against  Camper's 
facial  line,  he  will  find  a  refutation  of  all  this  reasoning  of  Delpit ; 
a  proof  that  he  defends  it  merely  because  it  is  in  vogue.  It  is  this 
very  generality  and  fixedness,  which  render  it,  in  almost  ail  cases, 
inapplicable ;  this  is  the  inherent  defect  in  the  supposed  impor- 
tance of  Camper's  facial  angle.  It  is  implicitly  supposed,  that  no 
difference  but  that  of  degree,  exists  between  the  capacities  of  the 
different  species  and  individuals  of  the  human  race,  and  the  dif- 
ferent species  and  individuals  of  the  animal  kingdom.  Thus  the 
intelligence  of  men  and  other  animals  would  always  be  propor- 
tioned to  the  magnitude  of  the  facial  angle.  This  being  premised, 
I  ask,  which,  out  or  two,  three,  four,  &c.,  has  the  most  intelli- 
gence, the  dog,  ape,  beaver,  the  ant,  or  the  bee?  Ants  and  bees 
live  in  an  admirable  republic,  and  form  astonishing  constructions, 
which  they  know  how  to  modify  according  to  circumstances.  The 
beaver  and  penduline  build  with  equally  marvellous  skill,  and  with 
a  foresight  which  seldom  errs ;  the  dog  and  the  ape  have  very 
little  foresight,  and  are  incapable  of  the  most  insignificant  con- 
struction. Which  has  the  greater  intelligence,  Voltaire  or  Des- 
cartes? Could  the  former  have  been  a  mathematician  and  the 
latter  a  poet  ?  Which  has  the  higher  degree  of  intellect,  Mozart 
or  Lessing,  who,  with  all  his  genius,  detested  music?  In  short, 
which  has  the  most  intelligence,  my  dog  who  retraces  his  steps 
through  the  most  complicated  routes,  or  myself,  who  am  always 
going  astray?  Measure  now  the  facial  angle  of  the  ant,  bee, 
beaver,  penduline,  ape,  my  dog,  and  of  myself,  and  estimate  the 
result.  Acknowledge,  then,  that  your  division,  so  definite,  so 
easy  to  be  apprehended,  is  absolutely  useless,  and  that  you  are 
obliged  to  advert  to  divers  instincts,  propensities,  faculties,  and 
their  different  degrees  of  energy,  to  which  your  facial  angle  is 
wholly  inapplicable.     Your  intelligence,  instinct,  address,  are  in 


*  Dictionnaire  des  Sciences  Med.  t.  xxxviii.  p.  263. 

33* 


390  APPENDIX 

reality  mere  abstractions,  imaginary  existences.  Do  you  consider 
the  propensity  to  procreation,  the  love  of  offspring,  the  carnivorous 
instinct,  the  talent  for  music,  poetry,  &c.,  as  imaginary  existences? 
Yon  see,  then,  that  it  is  more  convenient  to  tresui  the  beaten  path, 
than  to  verify  observations. — Gall  on  the  Functiont  of  the  Brain, 
page  195. 


IMPORTANT  NEW  WORKS 

JUST   PUBLISHED  BY 

J.  &  H.  G.  LANGLEY,  57  CHATHAM  STREET. 
I. 

M.  DE  TOCaUEVILLES  NEW  WORK 
IN   ONE   VOLUME    OCTAVO. 

THE  SOCIAL  INFLUENCE  OF  DEMOCRACY, 

Being  the  second  part  of  "  Democracy  in  America,"  by  Alexis  De 
TocdUEViLLE. — Avocat  a  la  Cour  Royale  de  Paris,  ^c. 

Translated  by  Henry  Reeve,  Esq,,  with  an  Introductory  Preface, 
BY  THE  HON.  JOHN  C.  SPENCER, 

COUNSELLOR  AT   LAW,    ETC. 

"  The  former  part  of  M.  de  Tocqueville's  work  gained  for  its  author 
a  distinguished  reputation,  which  is  now  more  than  sustained  in  this, 
the  concluding  volume.  No  author  of  our  age  has  looked  deeper  or 
with  a  more  prophetic  eye  into  the  destinies  of  mankind,  and  the 
mighty  causes  which  are  now  in  progress  to  change  the  future  politi. 
cal  and  social  condition  of  the  race." — New  York  Review, 

"  Our  author's  observations  are  manly,  scrutinizing,  and  impartial* 
His  work  is  the  only  really  standard  one  uponAmerica. — Metropolitan. 

"  As  a  study  of  political  science  this  book  stands  unrivalled  in  our 
times,  equally  remarkable  for  lucidity  of  style,  acuteness  and  delicacy 
of  reasoning,  and  for  the  moral  and  intellectual  vigor  with  which  it 
has  been  conceived  and  completed." — London  Times. 

"  We  recommend  M.  de  Tocqueville's  work  as  the  very  best  on 
the  subject  of  America,  we  have  ever  met  with."'— Blackwood. 

"  Our  author  has  entered  into  the  very  penetralia  of  our  homes,  and 
sketched  from  our  own  firesides,  many  curious  and  striking  portrai- 
tures, which  represent  us  in  attitudes  we  have  hitherto  been  but  little 
accustomed  to  contemplate.  Yet,  in  these  sketches  we  discover  not 
tha  ill-natured  pencil  of  the  caricaturist,  but  the  able  and  faithful  pen 
of  the  sound  and  scrutinizing  philosopher.  The  work  comprises  a 
great  variety  of  highly  interesting  subjects.  We  cordially  recom. 
mend  this  important  and  interesting  work  to  all  classes  of  readers. 
— Evening  Tattler. 

Shortly  will  be  published,  ' 

II. 

New  Edition,  Corrected  and  enlarged  of  M.  de  TocauEViLU's 

DEMOCRACY  IN  AMERICA, 

This  new  and  improved  edition  will  comprise,  together  with  co- 
pious notes, 

A  MAP  NEVER  BEFORE  PUBLISHED 

in  this  country.     It  will  be  printed  uniform  with  the  new  work, 

"  Social  Influence  of  Democracy." 

I 


Important  New  Works 

IIL 

THE  NEW  TEMPERANCE  PRIZE  ESSAY. 

BACCHUS. 

An  Essay  on  the  Nature,  Causes,  Effects  and  Cure  of  Intemperance. 
By  Ralph  Barnes  Grindrod. — First  American,  from  the  Third  Eng- 
hsh  Edition.     Edited  by  Charles  A.  Lee,  A.  M.  M.  D.,  &c. 

"  This  work  is  the  prize  essay,  for  which  the  Brittish  and  Foreign 
Temperance  Society,  awarded  to  the  author  the  premium  of  one 
hundred  sovereigns.  This  essay  is  admirably  full  and  complete,  and 
is  written  with  much  ability,  and  furnishes  abundant  evidence  of  the 
industry  and  research  of  the  author.  An  appendix  is  added  to  the 
American  edition,  containing  some  valuable  matter  connected  with 
the  subject  of  Intemperance — the  whole  constituting,  perhaps,  the 
most  useful  and  valuable  book  on  the  subject,  which  has  ever  ap- 
peared."— Np.ip  Yorker. 

"  The  author  is  evidently  a  man  of  great  industry  and  untiring  re- 
search; he  has  brought  together  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  in- 
formation  on  the  subject  on  which  he  treats.  The  work  is  such  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  theme,  that  it  must  serve  as  a  text  book 
to  all  succeeding  writers,  and  a  manual  for  every  person  who  is  at  all 
interested  in  the  important  subject  of  Temperance  reform." — Penn- 
sylvanian. 

"  We  never  met  with  a  work  on  any  subject  more  comprehensive ; 
it  embraces  all  possible  historical,  statistical,  medical  and  moral  in- 
formation  on  the  subject  of  which  it  treats,  and  is  so  clearly  and  me- 
thodically  arranged,  that  it  makes  an  excellent  volume  of  reference 
for  every  library.  In  its  influence,  it  must  be  wide  as  excellent ;  for 
it  is  a  complete  library  of  itself — presenting  facts  which  the  ordinary 
general  reading  of  no  gentleman  would  convey  to  him.  We  com- 
mend the  work  to  the  special  attention  of  every  body." — Tattler. 

"  A  work,  so  admirably  complete,  may  be  hailed  by  the  advocates 
of  Temperance,  as  an  invaluable  addition  to  their  cause.  The  want 
of  such  a  work  has  been  deeply  felt,  and  it  is  now  supplied  in  a  man- 
ner which  possesses  the  double  advantage  of  being  deeply  interesting 
volume  as  well  as  a  triumphant  vindication  of  those  great  principles, 
advocated  for  the  general  improvement  of  society." — New  Era. 

•'  Nothing  short  of  an  attentive  perusal  of  this  work,  can  convey 
a  just  idea  of  the  invaluable  treasury  of  facts  here  collected  together 
for  the  illustration  of  the  subject  discussed.  It  is  full  of  interest,  be- 
cause  full  of  instruction,  gathered  from  sources,  not  within  the  reach 
of  one  in  thousands  of  our  community.  Its  circulation,  will  doubtless 
be  wide,  and  cannot  be  otherwise  than  salutary." — Boston  Recorder, 
2 


Published  by  J.  <^  H.  G.  Langley. 
IV. 

NOW   READY,    IN    ONE   VOLUME    12mO   WfPH   PLATKS. 

BEAUTY. 

Illustrated  chiefly  by  an  analysis  and  classification  of  Beauty  in  Wo- 
man. By  Alexander  Walker,  with  Notes  and  an  Explanatory  In- 
troduction,  by  an  American  Physician. 

"  We  have  read  this  work  with  great  delight ;  the  subject  is  treat. 
ed  in  a  masterly  manner.  To  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  scientific 
part  of  his  subject,  the  author  adds  immense  practical  information, 
and  an  elegance  of  style  rarely  found  in  works  of  science." — London 
Athenceum. 

•'It  is  rather  remarkable  that  an  object  of  paramount  interest  and 
importance  in  the  eyes  of  man,  such  as  the  female  form  is,  should 
never  have  been  treated  philosopliically  and  physiologically.  No  one, 
imtil  now,  has  investigated  the  principles  of  beauty  in  the  form  of 
woman,  in  reference  to  its  uses  as  an  organic  structure,  and  with  a 
view  to  its  influence  on  the  individual  and  society.  To  Alexander 
Walker  belongs  the  merit  of  being  the  first  to  demonstrate,  that 
beauty  in  woman  is  the  outward  visible  denotement  of  sound  struc- 
ture and  organic  fitness ;  and  of  attempting  its  analysis  and  classifi. 
cation  on  physiological  principles,  with  reference  to  its  perpetuation 
in  posterity.  We  cannot  follow  Mr.  Walker  through  his  elaborate 
refutation  of  the  errors  and  sophistries  of  Burke,  Payne  Knight,  and 
other  writers  on  the  philosophy  of  the  beautiful.  Sufiice  it  to  say, 
that  he  demonstrates  the  fallacy  of  many  of  their  arguments,  by 
showing  that  they  had  not  in  view  that  there  are  different  kinds  or 
classes  of  beauty.  On  the  characteristics  of  each  of  these  kinds  of 
beauty  and  stages  of  perfection,  Mr.  Walker  descants  with  eloquent 
minuteness.  The  concluding  chapter  lurnishes  a  clue  to  the  observa- 
lion  of  form  in  woman,  through  the  concealment  of  drapery  and  the 
aids  of  dress." — Spectator. 

"  This  is  in  many  respects  a  singular  work.  It  is  evidently  the 
result  of  exton/ive  research  and  profound  thought.  That  it  has  the 
merit  of  originality  no  one  can  doubt :  that  Mr.  Walker  is  no  felon 
in  the  case  of  other  men's  theories,  is  proved  by  every  page.  This 
work  is  sure  to  become  extensively  popular." — Observer. 

"  This  volume  has  created  a  sensation  as  well  in  the  philosophical 
as  in  the  fashionable  world.  It  is  written  with  much  force  and  ele- 
gance, and  a  perfect  mastery  of  the  subject  discussed.  It  is  not  a 
volume  calculated  alone  for  the  perusal  of  literary  and  scientific  men, 
but  may  be  read  with  profit  and  interest  by  all." — London  Satiric 


Important  New  Works 

Y. 

a  1  TOi.  12mo.,  with  8  plates,  the  6th  edition. 

INTERMARRIAGE; 

Or,  the  Mode  in  which,  and  the  Causes  why,  Beauty,  Health,  and 
Intellect,  result  from  certain  Unions,  and  Deformity,  Disesise,  and 
Insanity  from  others  ;  demonstrated  by  Delineations  of  the  Struc- 
ture and  Forms,  and  Descriptions  of  the  Functions  and  Capacities, 
which  each  Parent,  in  every  Pair,  bestows  on  Children,  in  conform- 
ity with  certain  Natural  Laws,  and  by  an  account  of  Corresponding 
Effects  in  the  Breeding  of  Animeds.  Illustrated  by  Drawings  of 
Parents  and  Progeny.  By  Alexander  Walker.  With  an  Intro- 
ductory Preface  and  Notes,  by  an  Americem  Physician. 

"  This  is  a  very  curious  and  very  acute  performance.  The  subject 
of  inquiry  is  one  of  great,  peculiar,  and  general  interest :  and  the 
author  has  displayed  much  ingenuity,  as  well  as  laborious  investiga- 
tion, in  the  discussion.  We  cannot  deny  him  the  possession  of  high 
talents,  and  that  his  Treatise  is  well  calculated,  not  only  to  teach  us 
much,  but  to  induce  reflections  and  considerations  upon  all  the  im- 
portant topics  of  which  it  treats." — The  London  Literary  Gazette. 

"  In  our  judgment,  this  is  a  remarkable  book,  and  worthy  of  exten- 
eive  circulation." — New  York  American. 

"  This  is  a  curious  book,  displaying  much  ingenuity  in  theorising, 
and  not  a  little  research  and  skill  in  supporting  the  theories  advanced. 
The  principal  of  these  is  that  the  physical  and  mental  organizations 
are  governed  by  definite,  permanent  and  ascertainable  principles,  de- 
pending on  the  organization  of  parents ;  and  consequently  that  any 
required  organization  may  be  effected  in  a  child,  by  bringing  together 
certain  given  organizations  in  the  father  and  mother  respectively. 

This  theory — founded  as  it  is  upon  the  doctrine  of  phrenolgical  de- 
velopments— is  carried  out  into  a  variety  of  corollaries  and  conse- 
quences, not  the  least  remarkable  of  which  is  the  notion  that  men 
and  women  may,  and  should,  in  contracting  mzirriages,  be  governed 
to  some  extent  by  the  duty  of  securing  healthy  and  beautiful  organi- 
zations for  their  offspring — or  in  other  words,  that  every  man,  in 
choosing  a  wife,  should  1^  careful  to  select  one  whose  organization 
will  so  harmonize  with  his  own  as  to  form  in  their  children  the  most 
perfect  phrenological  and  physical  development." — Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser. 

"  The  book  is  certainly  a  curious  and  valuable  one,  and  will  doubt, 
less  meet  with  a  ready  sale  among  an  intelligent  community,  who 
will  not  be  prevented  by  motives  of  false  dehcacy,  from  studying, 
through  this  medium,  '  a  science  which  teaches  us  all  we  know  of  the 
laws  of  life,'  and  a  '  knowledge  of  which  is  intimately  connected 
with  tlie  preservation  of  health.'  " — N.  Y.  Weekly  Messenger. 

4 


Published  by  J.  6f  H.  G.  Langley. 
VI. 

IN   ONE   VOLUME,    12mO.,   THIRD   EDITION. 

WOMAN, 

Physiologically  considered  as  to  Mind,  Morals,  Marriage,  Matrimonial 
Slavery,  Infidelity  and  Divorce.  By  Alexander  Walker,  author 
of  "  Beauty,"  "  Intermarriage,"  with  Notes  and  an  Appendix, 
adapting  the  work  to  the  peculiar  condition  of  Females  in  this  coun- 
try, &c.,  edited  by  an  American  Physician. 

"  If  ever  writer  chose  an  attractive  theme,  Mr.  Walker  is  certainly 
that  writer.  The  volume  contains  a  vast  fund  of  original,  profound, 
acute,  curious,  and  amusing  observation,  highly  interesting  to  all."— 
London  Literary  Gazette. 

♦'  This  volume  is  a  rich  accession  to  our  literature  in  every  sense. 
The  author  comes  to  the  performance  of  his  work  with  qualifications 
of  a  high  order,  and  has  supported  it  with  extensive  philosophical  re- 
search, and  dehghtful  attractions  in  illustrative  anecdote.  In  a 
science  peculiarly  calling  into  action  imaginative  powers,  the  author 
forms  his  inferences  with  great  adherence  to  logical  truth,  and  sup. 
ports  them  with  a  copious  store  of  learned  and  historical  testimony." 
— Spectator. 

The  work  is  certainly  one  which  has  the  very  strongest  claims 
on  the  scientific  and  philosophical  world.  It  is  a  very  masterly  and 
interesting  work. — Observer. 

•'  Until  within  a  short  time  past,  the  people  of  this  country  have 
entirely  neglected  the  study  of  physiology.  Every  attempt  that  was 
made  to  call  public  attention  to  that  important  soience,  was  either 
frowned  down  by  a  spirit  of  false  delicacy,  or  was  ridiculed  by  critics 
of  every  grade.  A  more  healthy  state  of  public  opinion,  however,  is 
beginning  lo  prevail  in  regard  to  tlie  subject.  People  now  admit  that 
the  human  body  is  really  deserving  a  little  consideration — that  a 
knowledge  of  the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed,  in  order  that  they 
may  not  suffer  from  violations  of  them,  is  of  some  importance.  We 
hope  that  this  state  of  feeling  will  be  increased,  and  we  know  nothing 
more  likely  to  lead  to  such  a  result,  than  the  publication  of  popular- 
ized works  treating  on  the  science.  A  few  such  works  have  already 
been  published,  and  the  one  now  before  us  may  be  placed  at  their 
head,  whether  we  consider  the  importance  of  its  subject,  or  the  eru- 
dite  and  dignified  manner  in  which  that  subject  is  handled." — Boston 
Post. 

"  This  work  is  essentially  scientific,  although  Mr.  Walker  has  writ- 
ten it  with  a  view  to  general  circulation,  and  has  treated  the  subject 
in  as  popular  a  spirit  as  its  peculiar  nature  would  admit.  Some  cu- 
rious physical  facts  arc  developed  in  the  course  of  Mr.  Walker's  re- 
searches ;  and  the  laws  in  nature  which  he  establishes,  are  placed  in 
a  clearer  light  than  they  ever  were  before. — The  book  is  full  of  the 
most  extraordinary  and  interesting  matter." — Atlas, 

3 


Important  New  Works,  ^. 


VII. 

A  TREATISE  ON  THE  DISEASES  OF  INFANTS. 
(new  edition  improved.) 

By  C.  M.  BiLLARD,  Docteur  en  Medecine  de  la  Faculty  de  Paris,  etc., 
etc.  Founded  on  recent  clinical  observations  and  investigations 
in  Pathological  Anatomy,  made  at  the  "  Hospice  des  Enfans- 
Trouv§s,"  at  Paris,  under  the  superintendence  of  M.  Baron,  with 
a  Medico-Legal  Dissertation  on  the  Viability  of  the  Child. 

Translated  from  the  French,  with  Notes,  by  James  Stewart,  M.  D. 
Late  Physician  to  the  New- York  Orphan  Asylum,  and  one  of  the 
Consulting  Physicians  of  the  Northern  Dispensary  of  the  City  of 
New-York. 

"  The  work  of  M.  Billard  is  generally  acknowledged  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important  on  the  subject  of  which  it  treats,  of  any  that  have 
hitherto  been  published.  For  minute  but  cautious  reasoning,  it  may 
serve  as  a  model ;  and  what  it  lacks  in  therapeutic  detail,  is  supplied 
by  the  experienced  translator  in  the  appendix." — Amer.  Journ.  of  the 
Med.  Sciences,  Nov.,  1839. 

"  We  are  rejoiced  to  see  this  work  in  an  English  dress,  especially 
as  the  translation  has  been  undertaken  by  a  gentleman  who  has  not 
merely  confined  himself  to  the  duty  of  translating,  but  who  has  add- 
ed much  valuable  matter  in  an  appendix.  The  translation  is  entirely 
free  from  those  half  French  half  English  phrases,  which,  either  from 
affectation  or  ignorance  of  translators,  so  generally  offend  the  eye  and 
perplex  the  sense." — London  Medical  Gazette,  January,  1840. 

"  The  original  work  of  M.  Ballard  has  long  held  the  highest  rank 
among  treatises  on  the  diseases  of  children  iu  this  country,  though 
there  are  many  to  whom  it  has  hitherto  been  a  sealed  book,  from 
their  ignorance  of  the  French  language.  Tiiis  difficulty  is  now  over- 
come, and  in  a  way  to  enhance  the  value  of  the  work  ;  for  it  is  not 
merely  translated  by  Dr.  Stewart,  but  enriched  with  an  appendix  of 
valuable  comments  on  M.  Billard's  descriptions,  supplying  occasional 
deficiences  and  affording  the  reader  an  opportunity  of  comparing  dis- 
ease as  it  appears  in  France  and  America. — Dublin  Journal  of  Medi- 
cine, May,  1840. 

"  The  American  translation  of  Dr.  Billard's  elaborate  work  will 
supply  a  want  felt  to  exist  in  our  medical  literature.  He  has  enjoy- 
ed opportunities  of  pursuing  pathological  investigations  to  almost  an 
unhmited  extent,  and  he  has  very  diligently  availed  himself  of  them, 
presenting  to  the  world,  as  the  result,  a  book  remarkable  for  tlie  va- 
riety and  importance  of  the  facts  it  contains.  Of  the  manner  in 
which  Dr.  Stewart  has  executed  his  task,  we  can  speak  in  the  high- 
est terms. — Medico-Chirurgical  Review,  April,  1840. 

-6 


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